Volunteers Band Together To Airlift Rescued Pets In Maui After Historic Wildfires

Many pets displaced by the historic wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui can rest easier as help arrives. Greater Good Charities, Lucky Dog Animal Rescue and Southwest Airlines joined forces to help rescue vulnerable pets via airlift.

Southwest Airlines sent a plane full of humanitarian supplies intended for both pets and people to the Hawaiian island. However, when the plane made its return trip, it was not entirely empty.

Greater Good Charities had a veterinarian on the ground doing double checks of all the animals, and then the pets were distributed for adoption.

Dozens of volunteers helped to prepare over 130 adoptable shelter pets from the Maui Humane Society who were then flown to shelters in the Pacific Northwest to find their forever homes. This was in an effort to make more room for those pets displaced or injured by the destructive wildfires. The airlifted pets were able to be adopted before the wildfires began.

“Maui Humane Society is here and will continue to serve the community,” said Maui Humane Society in a press release. “We have received an overwhelming amount of support from our local community as well as physical donations, which we are prioritizing to distribute to all pet owners who have been directly or indirectly affected by these fires, across Maui Nui.”

Among the organizations that took in the airlifted companions are Berkeley Humane, East Bay SPCA, Fremont Animal Services, Friends of Alameda Animal Shelter, Marin Humane Animal Rescue Foundation and Oregon Humane Society.