The Unsung Heroes of Animal Rescue

While most people are aware of the countless big-hearted volunteers who work in animal shelters, rescues, and private facilities that save animals from neglect and euthanasia, there’s another side to animal rescue that very few people probably know even exists. That aspect is rescue animal transportation.

The hard work of shelter volunteers, foster families, and others involved in caring for and placing homeless animals is complemented behind the scenes by the work of another set of special people – pilots, drivers, and facilitators who transport thousands of animals away from certain death and into a safe environment every year.

Wings of Rescue

This truly amazing organization is a non-profit 501(c) (3) charity that transports homeless animals from high-intake shelters (where they face almost-certain euthanasia) to no-kill shelters in areas where adoptable pets are in high demand.

Wings of Rescue is unique in that it is run by volunteer pilots who use their own planes (in addition to chartered cargo planes) to fly thousands of pets each year to the safe haven of no-kill shelters in long-distance locations.

The cost to transport an animal through this incredible organization is about $100. This vaccinations, microchipping, heartworm testing, flea treatments, and spaying/neutering. To donate to the non-profit and help move yet another sweet cat or dog to safety, click here. You can also check out a listing of shelters with adoptable pets that have been transported by Wings of Rescue here.

Pilots N Paws

This organization is also a 501(c) (3) charity dedicated to the task of rescuing animals from bad situations and flying them to a place where they either already have a home waiting, or can be transferred into the care of a no-kill shelter or other facility that will keep them safe.

What sets Pilots N Paws apart from Wings of Rescue is that PNP runs a facilitative website, rather than operating as one group who does the transporting themselves. The website features a forum where rescue staff can post their transportation needs, and then pilots who are conveniently located and have a plane – or access to a plane – can choose to volunteer to meet the needs of that rescue.

In order to use PNP, rescuers must register, and then post in the forum to get into contact with pilots who may be able to help them. The organization simply acts as a portal to bring people together for purposes of arranging rescue flights or other animal-saving activities, such as overnight fostering. To learn more about how to use PNP, go here.

Other Transporters

There are plenty of animal rescue transport organizations on the ground as well.

One such hard-working group is the Colorado Animal Rescue Express (C.A.R.E.). This volunteer charity has helped get nearly 26,000 pets to safety since its inception in 2007. C.A.R.E. moves animals mostly along a route between Colorado and Missouri.

BRATS – or Badger Rescue Animal Transport Services, Inc. – is a Wisconsin-based organization devoted to ending the euthanization of healthy, adoptable pets, by moving them from crowded shelters where they will probably be put to death, to other locations that have plenty of space and a high demand for adoptable dogs and cats. BRATS was founded in 2008 and moves approximately 2000+ animals per year.

There’s no doubt that frontline shelter volunteers make a huge difference in the lives of millions of animals across the country every year. These pilots and drivers who work behind the scenes, saving even more animals and giving of their time and resources for a worthy cause, deserve kudos and recognition as well for a job well done.