“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”
That moving quote from Anatole France aptly described some residents of Taal who had gone back to the volcano island to rescue whatever animal, like horses, cows, and pigs, that may have survived the thick ashfall that has now enveloped the entire island.
Calls for animal rescue grew days following the eruption, with reports of dozens of horses, cattle, and pigs dying. The New York Times, in a feature on the eruption, showed photos of dead horses and other animals covered in ash. Three Peta members on an animal rescue mission to a community called Pulo were stranded for hours on the volcano island after they were left behind by a boat that they had used to rescue cattle belonging to some residents. Anna Cabrera, of PAWS, said one of the rescuers called her up for help. The stranded volunteers were rescued and brought back to safety on the mainland in the afternoon.
An animal volunteer carries a dog he rescued from deserted homes near Taal volcano as residents evacuated to safer grounds leaving some of their pets behind in Talisay, Batangas province on Wednesday Jan.15, 2020. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Highly prized Taal Island’s four-legged residents are ferried to safety in Balete, Batangas province, on Wednesday, having survived the initial rumblings of the ash-belching volcano that started on Jan. 12. (Photo by CHRIS QUINTANA / Contributor)
A man guides his horse after it was rescued near Taal volcano as residents evacuated to safer grounds leaving some of their pets behind in Talisay, Batangas province, on Wednesday Jan.15, 2020. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
In this Jan. 14, 2020, file photo, men carry piglets which they rescued across the lake in Talisay, Batangas province, as Taal volcano continues to spew ash. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)
In this Jan. 14, 2020, photo, volunteers try to catch a pig on Taal volcano island Talisay, Batangas province. The volcano near the Philippine capital spewed lava into the sky and trembled constantly Tuesday, possibly portending a bigger and more dangerous eruption, as tens of thousands of people fled villages darkened and blanketed by heavy ash.(AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Dogs rescued from deserted homes are fed by volunteers at a village near Taal volcano where residents evacuated to safer grounds leaving some of their pets behind in Talisay, Batangas province, on Wednesday Jan.15, 2020. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
In this Jan. 14, 2020, photo, men clean their horses that they rescued from Taal volcano island in Balete, Batangas province. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Animal rescue volunteers try to catch a dog at a deserted village near Taal volcano as residents evacuated to safer grounds leaving some of their pets behind in Talisay, Batangas province, on Wednesday Jan. 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Puppies rescued from deserted homes wait inside a cage at a village near Taal volcano as residents evacuated to safer grounds leaving some of their pets behind in Talisay, Batangas province, on Wednesday Jan.15, 2020. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Puppies rescued from deserted homes are carried by a volunteer at a deserted village near Taal volcano where residents evacuated to safer grounds leaving some of their pets behind in Talisay, Batangas province, on Wednesday Jan. 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)