FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Dozens of animals from Puerto Rico arrived Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale.
The 75 dogs and 25 cats were flown to South Florida after Save a Sato, the shelter that housed them on the island, was destroyed during Hurricane Maria.
"This is the largest number of animals we've ever taken from them at one time," Humane Society of Broward County spokeswoman Cherie Wachter said.
Wachter said the shelter in Puerto Rico has no electricity, and pictures on the Save a Sato Facebook page show that its roof was blown off by the storm.
"So by taking these animals, it will help free up time and place for those individuals so that they can rebuild their lives," Wachter said. "They have to rebuild. They have to rebuild what they had, and hopefully it will be stronger and better."
This is the second animal rescue flight landing in South Florida from the island.
The four-legged evacuees are now at the Humane Society of Broward County and hopefully headed for a new forever home on the mainland.
Wachter said the animals will be checked by a veterinarian and then be made available for adoption beginning this weekend.