“THEIR LIVES MATTER”
Authorities had told locals to evacuate outside a 7km exclusion zone around the crater, which was lowered to 5km on Sunday, with around 11,000 people earmarked for evacuation.
As of Saturday, more than 5,000 people from Tagulandang had been evacuated, the national disaster mitigation agency said Sunday, while all of Ruang’s residents – more than 800 – had been taken for permanent relocation.
Authorities had warned of potential flying rocks, lava flows and tsunamis due to debris sliding into the sea.
But despite the risk, the volunteers were getting to work.
One climbed over the fence of an abandoned house to rescue several dogs left behind by their owner, before handing them over to vet Hendrikus Hermawan.
Hendrikus said the owner had asked the volunteers for help rescuing the dogs, which included a five-month-old puppy.
Many of the rescued animals appeared hungry and stressed after their owners left them, he told AFP.
“The first treatment we do here is give food and additional vitamins to relieve their stress,” he said, adding that the animals could survive as long as they were nourished.
The volunteers aim to rescue all the dogs, cats and birds threatened by the volcano, bring them to Manado and reunite them with any original owners, said Laurent.
While the initial focus of the eruptions was on the human impact, the volunteer said animals should not be forgotten.
“Our main focus is the animals. Many people have already received help, but these animals had no help,” she said.
“For me, their lives matter. We consider them part of our family.”
