Over 190 Dogs Rescued From Flooded Village in Alaska After Typhoon Halong Hit
The dogs in danger were airlifted to the mainland, wearing makeshift collars made of duct tape and traveling in temporary crates, with some puppies packed into a Spider-Man backpack. This flight was part of an emergency rescue operation last month. Tropical Storm Halong submerged the remote village of Kipnuk in the Kuskokwim Delta of Alaska, resulting in the evacuation of 1,800 people, with rescue teams saving a total of 192 dogs.
Several aircraft landed in Bethel, about 100 miles northeast of Kipnuk, where boxes full of dogs were unloaded from the planes and taken to “Bethel Friends of Canines” for care until they could be reunited with their owners.
“We couldn’t just stand by and leave these dogs in a flooded, abandoned village to be separated from their beloved owners, starving and facing death,” Jenna Stewart, the development director of Bethel, told The Epoch Times.
“This is a massive undertaking, but it’s what ‘Bethel Friends of Canines’ does. It brings people together to help the community.”
On October 12, Typhoon Halong wreaked havoc on the western coast of Alaska, causing devastating destruction to several villages. Kipnuk is located in one of the most remote regions of Alaska with no roads leading to Kipnuk or other nearby communities such as Kwigillingok and Nightmute. The only way in and out of these places is by boat or plane. Due to heavy rainfall, all buildings in Kipnuk were submerged, with some even washed into the sea, except for one – the school and teachers’ quarters.
Military helicopters were sent to evacuate residents. However, pets were prohibited from being evacuated and left to fend for themselves. The locals then contacted Bethel for help in rescuing their dogs, leading Stewart and the Bethel staff to embark on the largest canine rescue operation in the organization’s history.
“They (the locals) simply couldn’t go back to retrieve their pets,” Stewart said. The evacuees from Kipnuk were taken to a shelter in Anchorage, 360 miles to the east. “These dogs would have been exposed to contaminated water sources, deprived of food, and faced certain death.”
Within hours, the Bethel team arranged for a chartered flight to Kipnuk. Local teachers chose to stay behind, determined to gather up all these dogs. As the airlift approached, they began searching the village for trapped pets, some found in yards, some in quickly abandoned houses, and others tied up near the airport, while some roamed free and required capture.
In order to ensure the rescue of all dogs, volunteers improvised various logistical methods. They stuffed dogs into various crates and bags and loaded as many as possible onto the plane. Each dog wore a temporary duct tape collar with their name, phone number, and any information they could find to help them reunite with their owners.
“They were determined to utilize any available space on the plane,” Stewart said.
By the end of the first night, they had gathered and transported 15 puppies. The rescue operation continued in the following two weeks (up to now) as many dogs were released by their owners who believed it was their best chance for survival.
“They were not easy to catch!” Stewart exclaimed.
So far, 192 dogs have been brought in – along with a turtle that was rescued as a classroom pet from the school.
Strangely, one cat has not been found.
“There are not many cats in rural Alaska,” Stewart said, “but if there were, we would save them too.”
The pets have received baths and vaccinations at “Bethel Friends of Canines,” even though the organization is a rescue and not a dedicated animal shelter. The staff housed the dogs in cages in their two-room building and set up an outdoor temporary shelter. Other dogs were sent to foster families in Bethel and Anchorage.
“After the news spread, many people in Bethel reached out to us – either offering their homes as foster homes or devoting their time to help care for these dogs at our kennel,” Stewart said.
Now, with the weather returning to normal, some villagers have returned to Kipnuk to rebuild. While most dogs have been reunited with their owners, many who lost their homes in the flood will not be returning in the short term. Bethel’s partners in Anchorage have stepped up to provide foster care for these temporarily homeless pets.
“We are the only rescue organization in the area. There are no shelters, no animal rescue stations, and no animal control personnel in these villages,” Stewart said. “Our community needed our help, and we did everything we could to help them.”