A Reunification of Lahaina and Kula’s Animal Fire Survivors message:

Hundreds of animals (mostly cats but also others) survived the fires in Lahaina and Kula and have been recovered from the burn areas. Many, many of these are the beloved pets of fire survivors, thought lost forever. Well over 500 cats (and several other animals) have been recovered and sheltered by the Maui Humane Society and other animal rescues, and most are still awaiting reunification with their families. Please help us get the word out about their existence so that they may find their way back to their ohanas.

Over 150 cats and nearly 50 dogs have already been reunited with their families. In many cases, people were shocked when they received the call that their animal had been found – given the devastation of the fires they assumed their animals had perished. Many people have experienced not only grief, but terrible guilt that they were not able to rescue their animals in time and have never attempted to look for them.

Sadly, because so many animals did lose their lives alongside the people lost in the fires, there were pronouncements made in the early days after August 8th that nothing was left alive in Lahaina. We now know that was inaccurate, but no widespread public correction has been made until now.

It is our sincere hope that at this time of year, when we all gather to celebrate and also to comfort the grieving and the displaced, that you can help us publicize that hundreds of cats are waiting at the Maui Humane Society and other local rescues to be reunited with their families.

Please refer to this flyer that includes phone numbers and links to both the Maui Humane Society and to the Lahaina Lost & Found Animal (LFLFA) database, where people can look at photos of both lost and found animals and search for their own pets. The database can be accessed on a mobile phone or any other computer device and is entirely free – no sign in is required.

Please help us possibly bring some joy to at least one of the people who have lost so much this year. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

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