Philippines farm shelters pets rescued from volcano

By Joseph Campbell
NASUGBU, Philippines, Jan 21 (Reuters) - A small farm in the
Philippines' Batangas province is providing a safe haven for
pets rescued from an exclusion zone around an active volcano.
Taal began spewing clouds of ash on Jan. 12, forcing
thousands to flee their homes and abandon their pets.
Felix Casba, a caretaker at the farm in Nasugbu town, said
he and his boss have been taking in stray dogs for years, but
since the eruption, they've collected more than 200 new animals,
including goats, cats, rabbits and pigeons.
"If things in the area go back to normal, then the owners of
the dogs will come and claim them. But if the dogs remain
unclaimed, then we'll still take good care of them for life,"
Casba said on Tuesday, after accepting a dozen rescued dogs.
Authorities have thrown a 14-km (9-mile) exclusion zone
around the volcano, with experts saying an eruption could bring
a devastating rain of rocks and magma and unleash a tsunami in
the lake around it.
Volunteer Renz Oliver Garcia, 27, said he and other
rescuers have been sneaking around back roads to avoid police
roadblocks and rescue pets and livestock at addresses posted by
desperate owners on social media.
Garcia said he did not mind the risks, even if he had been
bitten by rescued animals.
"Yes, I have been bitten so many times. The risk is rabies.
When a dog bites me, we observe the condition of the dog. Then
I'll have rabies shots. But sometimes, I don't get the rabies
shots after the bite," he said.
More than 100,000 people have been evacuated after Taal, one
of the Philippines' most active volcanoes, erupted more than a
week ago, blanketing homes, schools and farms with ash.
Volcanologists have kept the danger level at 4 out of a
possible 5, meaning that a "hazardous explosive eruption is
possible within hours to days".
Just 311 meters (1,020 feet) high, Taal is one of the
world's smallest active volcanoes. It killed more than 1,300
people in an eruption in 1911.