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As a fatal inferno ripped through Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court, dozens of distraught pet owners huddled in the cold outside a nearby estate, clinging to hope that their animals were still alive.
Waiting with them were volunteers from various animal rescue groups, ready to receive any surviving pets that firefighters pulled from one of Hong Kong’s deadliest fires in decades.
“When firefighters carry animals down, we go and receive them immediately,” said Bon Chan, the founder of local rescue organisation Turtle Inn.
“The firefighters ... were covered in soot, their clothes burnt. You could tell they had been through a lot.”
Animal rescue groups and district councillors formed a temporary pet triage centre in an open part of Kwong Fuk Estate, which is right next to Wang Fuk Court.
Staff from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) received pets from firefighters and recorded their information as vets checked on their health conditions. A flat was also borrowed to serve as a cat treatment room. Other volunteers helped residents register their missing pets.
From pet food to oxygen equipment and heat pads, support kept pouring in to help the animals.
Reptiles were given to Chan, who had about 100 messages from desperate pet owners seeking help.
“They immediately sent their addresses and photos of their turtles, hoping we could somehow go inside and rescue them,” Chan said. “Of course, that’s not possible – but we are on the front line.”
The volunteer in his 40s recalled how he took care of the animals even as the air grew bitterly cold and the buildings burned into the early morning hours.
“Reptiles need warmth, so my car became a heated shelter for them,” he said.
An emergency station for animals
When Chan arrived on the scene, he brought supplies and cages of different sizes to make sure every pet – even the small turtles and lizards – was taken care of.
“For cats and dogs, there are usually enough cages, but for small pets, that might not be the case,” he said.
As a specialist in caring for reptiles and birds, Chan helped about 50 reptiles between November 26 and 29.
“Sometimes turtles are a bit luckier – owners usually keep them on the floor or in shallow tubs of water, which gives them a better chance of surviving in a fire,” Chan said.
While most of the reptiles he helped were reunited with their owners and a few were sent to a clinic or the SPCA, Chan is still taking care of 14. Some of them have not been claimed, and others have owners who cannot tend to them at the moment.
“They handed their turtles over to me first because they had just lost their homes. We’re temporarily taking care of their animals for them,” he said.
Chan also looked after an anaemic red-eared slider and transferred an endangered star tortoise to Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden for emergency care.
But not all of the animals survived – some died soon after being rescued, Chan said.
Despite the heartbreak, he stayed on the front line, reuniting families, comforting grieving owners and giving the smallest survivors a fighting chance.
“One owner called me four times, and right after the fourth call, his turtle was brought down. He was overjoyed. He cried when he got the turtle back so quickly,” the volunteer recalled.
“We all gathered around him as I handed the turtle back personally. When I get to return an animal to its owner, that’s the one truly happy moment.”
A glimmer of hope
According to the SPCA, about 84 pets are still missing even after the police’s Disaster Victim Identification Unit (DVIU) completed its search for animals on December 4.
But SPCA head of inspectorate Marsha Chun – who spoke on a radio programme Tuesday – noted that some animals might have escaped on their own. Thus, she called on authorities to place food, water and traps inside Wang Fuk Court to help bring any surviving animals back to their owners.
Chun said that placing these items in Wang Fuk Court would offer “a glimmer of hope” for their owners.
During its search, the DVIU found a black cat named Little Black, who was alive after surviving nine days alone in a flat. Little Black was taken to the SPCA for a check-up and later reunited with its owner, who had adopted the feline from the charity eight years ago.
The SPCA is caring for pets whose owners cannot be reached and sharing their photos online to help them find their families. Unclaimed animals will eventually be put up for adoption, while others will stay with the SPCA until their owners can collect them.
For pet owners whose animals survived, Chun advised monitoring for any changes in behaviour or emotional distress following the incident.
