Costa Rican Rescuers Aid Venezuela's Earthquake Animals

When twin earthquakes tore through Venezuela on June 24, thousands of families lost everything, including their ability to care for the animals they love. Now four Costa Rican rescuers are on the ground making sure those animals get the help they need.

Grettel Delgadillo, Sofía Herra, Abigail Molina and Natalia Sáenz traveled to Venezuela as part of a nine-person disaster response team organized by Humane World for Animals. They're working alongside Mexican colleagues after Venezuelan animal welfare groups requested international support.

The twin quakes struck within seconds of each other, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude. The destruction left countless dogs, cats and other animals wounded by falling debris, separated from their families, or without access to food and water.

Since arriving in Valencia, the team has set up mobile veterinary clinics in the hardest-hit areas, including Caracas and La Guaira. They're treating wounded animals, distributing emergency food and water, and providing veterinary supplies to local groups already stretched thin.

Felipe Márquez, the organization's Latin America disaster response manager, is leading the mission. He expects the team to find animals suffering from wounds, dehydration and malnutrition after days of chaos.

The work goes beyond emergency medicine. Responders are also supporting families in temporary shelters who brought their pets with them, making sure those connections stay strong during an impossible time.

The Ripple Effect

This mission shows how disaster training in one country can create waves of help across borders. Costa Rican rescuers who trained for local emergencies are now applying those skills in one of Venezuela's most severe earthquake disasters in generations.

Humane World for Animals also issued an emergency grant to Red de Apoyo Canino, a Venezuelan animal welfare organization, to move supplies into affected communities faster. The combined effort means local groups get the support they need while maintaining their critical connection to the communities they serve.

The deployment is part of the organization's broader disaster response work across multiple countries, including relief after earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, storms and wildfires. Each mission builds expertise that gets shared across Latin America's growing network of animal rescuers.

As Venezuelan communities continue searching for survivors and rebuilding their lives, these rescuers are making sure the animals that bring comfort and companionship don't get left behind.