Kind-hearted animal lover Sali Gear knew she couldn’t sit back and do nothing when Hurricane Maria hit the US Virgin Islands.
Sali, from Virginia, runs a nonprofit organisation, Island Dog Rescue, that specialises in saving dogs from the area, where she grew up.
Having seen the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Irma on both humans and animals, Sali was concerned when she heard that another hurricane was due.
She planned to fly over and rescue 20 dogs on a daily basis after the hurricane, but soon realised this would not save as many animals as she hoped.
Despite the risk to her own personal safety, Sali decided to charter a larger plane to take 300 dogs and cats out of the danger zone.
Although she didn’t have enough money for the plane, with the aid of generous donors she managed to raise $112,000 to pay for the transport, along with $5,000 for carriers for all the animals.
Just two days after news of Hurricane Maria broke, Sali’s plane arrived to take the vulnerable animals to a safe place.
Sali flew the rescued animals back to Miami, where many had new owners already anxiously waiting for them. 250 volunteers were also on hand to help Sali with dog-walking duties.
Each dog had a bright orange note on their crate which read: “I survived Hurricane Irma. I am still nervous. Please be cautious with me."
Had she not intervened, it’s likely most of these animals would have perished in the hurricane.
Talking about her brave decision, Sali told The Virginian-Pilot: “I did it because it had to be done."
She admitted that she had just four hours’ sleep every night for two weeks due to the pressure of the delicate operation.
“People have moved heaven and earth to make this happen. I’m exhausted emotionally, physically – but spiritually, I’m not,” she said.
What an incredible gesture – we think Sali is awesome!
