Newsdate: Thu October 26, 2017, 11:20 am
Location: WASHINGTON, DC

A month after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico and surrounding islands in the Caribbean, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is still on the ground providing emergency services for horses and their owners.

The need in Puerto Rico has been so great that The HSUS has combined efforts with our affiliate, Humane Society International to help as many animals as possible. Working closely with the federal and local government authorities, The HSUS has been playing a key role with responding to the needs of all animals, including equine, who have been in dire need since the storm.

“We are grateful for the efforts of our partners in this work, The Jockey Club, American Association of Equine Practitioners and Thoroughbred Charities of America and we will continue our multi-prong approach to help the many horses in Puerto Rico that remain in need.” said Marty Irby, Senior Advisor at The HSUS.

In addition, the HSUS Animal Rescue Team has been deployed to Puerto Rico, where Hurricane Maria has ravaged communities and left people and animals alike without food, housing and essential supplies.

"We are working on the island of Vieques, a part of Puerto Rico, to bring much-needed medical attention to animals impacted by the storm, including horses. So far, we have worked with our partners in the field to bring tens of thousands of pounds of humanitarian and animal relief supplies into Puerto Rico.

The Humane Society of the United States is the most effective animal protection organization, as rated by our peers. For more than 60 years, we have celebrated the protection of all animals and confronted all forms of cruelty. We and our affiliates are the nation’s largest provider of hands-on services for animals, caring for more than 150,000 animals each year, and we prevent cruelty to millions more through our advocacy campaigns. Read about our more than 60 years of transformational change for animals and people. HumaneSociety.org