GONZALES, La. — First came the flood, then the animals -- and not two by two.
There are 200 dogs here. There are 50 cats. A potbellied pig sleeps in the hay. Parrots and cockatoos flutter in cages. An iguana stands as still as a statue in a terrarium. There are goats, snakes, rabbits, guinea pigs, a pet rat and even a flying squirrel.
There are horses and mules too. Chestnut miniatures and massive Belgian draft horses. Arabian racers and white stallions that used to pull newlyweds through the French Quarter. Altogether, there are more than 220 equines here.
The stables of the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center and 4-H Center in Gonzales have been transformed into a menagerie of refugees -- home to many of the animals that were lost or abandoned during the flood. Animal-care organizations from around the country have poured into Louisiana to assist in the rescue and care of pets and horses.
"We're trying to get a way to get more of them," said Kathryn Destreza, the director of New Orleans' Animal Services Department. "These people have lost everything, so if we can at least give them their dog or their horse, it won't be so bad."
Pets have become a hindrance for rescuers, as many survivors of the flood are refusing to leave deluged homes because they want to care for their animals. Many rescuers have stopped residents from coming aboard boats with their pets, and most evacuation shelters do not have facilities for animals.
Destreza said that animal rescue efforts could help persuade people to leave their homes.
"It blows my mind that FEMA and the Red Cross don't think about that," she said.
The expo center is next to an evacuation center between New Orleans and Baton Rouge housing about 2,000 people. Many of the animals were brought by evacuees. Others were recovered by volunteers or even soldiers and police officers, who aren't supposed to recover animals but have been bending the rules.
Before the storm, state veterinarians and Humane Society officials plotted out the locations of veterinarian clinics, stables and other locations where animals could be trapped.
Bonnie Clark, who publishes an equine newsletter, said she set up a horse evacuation database after Hurricane Andrew in 1992 that was helping to guide rescue efforts. Horses and mules in Louisiana are required to have tattoos, brands or a microchip inserted in their neck to identify their owners. Clark said she had information on as many as 3,000 horses. The database eventually will help them find the animals' owners.
