The fires Forest attacks that hit the south of Chile hard have not only left a profound impact on entire communities, but also on thousands of pets who were surprised by the flames. In this critical scenario, the Chilean Investigative Police (PDI) has played a key and little-known role: the care, rescue and first aid of pets affected by the emergency.
Dogs, cats and other animals arrive dehydrated, with burns, injuries to their paws, respiratory problems or eye conditions caused by the smoke and ashes of the terrible fire. For them, every minute counts.
How does the PDI help pets affected by the fires?
Through its Canine Brigade and specialized veterinary teams, the PDI installed mobile units that function as emergency veterinary clinics. Inside adapted vans, professionals attend to the animals rescued from devastated areas, such as Lirquén, one of the areas hardest hit by the fire.
As veterinarians from the institution explained, the main job is to stabilize the animals. pets found among rubble or who managed to escape with their owners, but with obvious injuries. There they receive serum, wound cleaning, bandages, evaluation of vital signs and basic medications. In the most serious cases, the animals They are referred to veterinary hospitals in the region for more complex care.
The work is not limited only to animals found alive. The teams also collaborate in searching and registering missing pets, an emotionally difficult process for affected families.
What happens to lost pets during evacuations?
The rapid and mandatory evacuations caused many people to leave their homes without being able to rescue their loved ones. animals. Faced with this situation, in addition to the work on the ground of the PDI and volunteers, a digital platform was enabled to facilitate the search and reunion of pets lost in the Biobío and Ñuble regions.
This tool allows you to publish reports of lost or found animals, filtering by species, size, color, community and other characteristics. The initiative arose from the local community, after verifying the magnitude of the problem in damaged areas, and already concentrates dozens of active cases.
As the debris removal and cleaning work progresses, veterinary teams warn that even more animals could appear in the coming days, although the passage of time reduces the chances of survival. Therefore, coordination between rescuers, volunteers and police forces is essential.
The emergency has revealed a reality that is often invisible: pets are also direct victims of natural disasters. In the midst of pain and human loss, the work of the PDI represents a concrete effort to protect those who cannot ask for help, but depend completely on solidarity and human action.
