Mayon Volcano. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – They may not be Noah, but they would not leave some furry family members alone.
In anticipation of an impending eruption, the Office for Civil Defense Bicol would evacuate livestock and pets from the six-kilometer danger zone of Mayon Volcano on Friday, right after the evacuation of the animals’ masters are completed.
Rafaelito Alejandro, OCD-Bicol Director, said that around 35,000 livestock and pets are still in the area and would be rounded up and brought to safer ground.
He added that some evacuees who were worried about their pets and farm animals left behind tried to return to their lands and homes inside the permanent danger zones.
“We want to evacuate the animals, because most of the evacuees are farmers and they return to their homes to check on them,” Alejandro said. “They are concerned on what would happen to their livestock or pets.”
Cattle, carabaos, swine, poultry and dogs are the common animals inside the permanent danger zone around Mayon, which is fertile farmland.
Alejandro said that they are still waiting for the provincial office of the Department of Agriculture on where they would evacuate the animals.
He added that they have done the same in 2009 but the evacuation of the people is still the priority.
As of Thursday, the official OCD count of evacuees reached 7,250 families.
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