Last weekend – and again this weekend – one of the most striking aspects of the flooding in Wallonia was the reaction of people in other parts of Belgium in helping those less fortunate.
Another massive movement was meanwhile under way to help out the animals affected by the flooding. Now it appears that more than 200 animals, mainly but not all of them pets, have been returned safely to their owners as the result of one Facebook group.
The group, aide animaux inondations belgique, was created just ten days ago and already has 8,600 members. The idea is simple: people post messages about lost animals of their own or animals they have found who appear to be lost, as a result of the recent flooding, now including this weekend.
One post, regularly updated, lists the animals – currently more than 60 in number – that are still missing. They include Chopin and Caramel the cats and Sylver the kitten, missing from Pepinster, one of the towns hardest-hit; Kinder the Shetland pony, missing from Goffontaine; two unnamed rabbits missing from Trooz; a miniature goat missing from Esneux; and a tortoise missing from Angleur.
There’s also room for good news, like the Yorkshire terrier found just this morning between Ermeton sur Biert and Saint Gérard, and hopefully soon to be reunited with their owners.
One poster was even able to offer lodgings for a large dog (like a bouvier) as well as horses, ponies, donkeys or a sheep, in a one-hectare field with two boxes.
The administrator of the group was contacted by Sudinfo.
“On this group, since the floods, there have already been around 500 posts from owners (or loved ones) looking for their lost pet. Of these 500 animals, roughly 200 were found alive and rejoined their families. Some deceased animals have also been found by their owners.”
