Families in Colombia Lead Desperate Search for Hundreds of Pets Lost in Earthquake Rubble

Over 250 pets have gone missing in Colombia following a recent earthquake, prompting a citizen-led search effort. According to Santiago Aristizabal, a zootechnician in Manizales, cats are the majority of the missing pets, accounting for about 90% of the lost animals. Unlike dogs, cats often flee during an earthquake, hiding in confined spaces and making them harder to locate.

The earthquake response is shifting from rescuing humans to demolishing collapsed buildings, but time is running out for the trapped animals. Paul Steward, leader of Bogota-based group En 8 Patas, warns that many disoriented pets will perish if heavy machinery arrives before thorough searches are completed. Steward's team has managed to rescue several cats, including Chimuelo, a feline found alive ten days after the quake, bringing solace to its owner whose wife died in the collapse.

Local shelters are struggling to cope with the influx of displaced animals, and private veterinarians and civil society groups have had to step in. The Alma Perruna foundation recently worked with the Colombian Civil Air Patrol to airlift a hundred dogs and cats from Buenaventura to shelters in Bogota. Some citizens have even used drones to locate stray pets in unsafe apartment buildings.

However, with rural farmers reporting total losses of livestock and agricultural infrastructure, advocates emphasize that the earthquake’s impact on animals remains an enormous, under-resourced emergency.