2 DOCUS REVEAL BOND BETWEEN HURRICANE VICTIMS AND THEIR PETS.Byline: David Kronke Television Critic SURE, WE ALL love our own pets, but whoever would've guessed that Hurricane Katrina would've shown us how much we love other people's pets, as well? Remember the little boy wrenchingly separated from his white puppy, or the evacuee's response when Oprah Winfrey's producers told him they'd take care of his dog? Admit it - your eyes got a little moist. Pets represent our innocence (unless you're raising pit bulls), and their collision with ugly reality represents an emotional nexus. This week, PBS PBS in full Public Broadcasting Service Private, nonprofit U.S. corporation of public television stations. PBS provides its member stations, which are supported by public funds and private contributions rather than by commercials, with educational, cultural, and Animal Planet offer competing documentaries on pets in Katrina's wake in New Orleans. ``Nature: Katrina's Animal Rescue'' is the more sober and informative of the two. It follows Humane Society, SPCA SPCA serum prothrombin conversion accelerator (coagulation factor VII). SPCA abbr. serum prothrombin conversion accelerator SPCA, n an acronym for serum p and FEMA FEMA, n.pr See Federal Emergency Management Agency. workers as they attempt to rescue pets; animal-loving police and National Guardsmen get involved, as well. Since many fleeing Katrina's wrath expected to return within a couple of days but couldn't for a couple of weeks, the situation got pretty dire for stranded pets, and the toxic sludge of the floodwaters didn't help. It wasn't just pets whose lives were endangered. ``Animal Rescue'' also reports on the city's aquarium, where we meet Patience, a penguin who wields a mean paintbrush (graphics, tool) Paintbrush - A Microsoft Windows tool for creating bitmap graphics. when not having to survive 94-degree water in its habitat, and the local zoo, where the animals were listless (programming) listless - In functional programming, a property of a function which allows it to be combined with other functions in a way that eliminates intermediate data structures, especially lists. when no one was around to watch them, then perked up when rescue workers visited during their down time. But abandoned pets make for the most poignant stories. One, reduced to looking like a skeleton with a hide draped drape v. draped, drap·ing, drapes v.tr. 1. To cover, dress, or hang with or as if with cloth in loose folds: draped the coffin with a flag; a robe that draped her figure. over it, was so dehydrated de·hy·drate v. de·hy·drat·ed, de·hy·drat·ing, de·hy·drates v.tr. 1. To remove water from; make anhydrous. 2. To preserve by removing water from (vegetables, for example). it gulped down three gallons of water in one sitting when rescued. Others represented equally touching tales, including a dog covered with chemical burns from the floodwaters, and a cat rescued by its dedicated owner, a retiree who sneaked back into town to reclaim his kitty, some cat toys and none of his own possessions. Animal Planet's ``Hurricane Reunions,'' on the other hand, aims strictly for feel-good moments. It's exemplified by the emotional owner of a terrier who was thwarted in his attempt to sneak his pooch aboard an evacuee e·vac·u·ee n. A person evacuated from a dangerous area. Noun 1. evacuee - a person who has been evacuated from a dangerous place migrant, migrator - traveler who moves from one region or country to another bus. When Hurricane Rita struck three weeks later, the intense emotional bond between pet owners and their animals was acknowledged by the government, who allowed pets to accompany evacuees Resident or transient persons who have been ordered or authorized to move by competent authorities, and whose movement and accommodation are planned, organized and controlled by such authorities. . But the reality behind the feel-good stories presented in these documentaries, of course, is messier than these hours suggest, so messy that ``Nature'' didn't let it slip in until the end of the report: Experts estimated a quarter-million pets were left behind by owners. Only 15,000 animals were rescued. David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke(at)dailynews.com NATURE: KATRINA'S ANIMAL RESCUE - Three stars What: Documentary about Hurricane Katrina's effects on animals in New Orleans and those who rescued them. Description. Where: KCET KCET Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (Japan) KCET Kamaraj College of Engineering and Technology . When: 8 tonight. In a nutshell: Clear-eyed but moving report. ANIMAL PLANET HEROES: HURRICANE REUNIONS - Two and one half stars What: Touching tales of hurricane victims and their pets. Where: Animal Planet. When: 8 p.m. Saturday. In a nutshell: Sweet, awfully manipulative. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) A woman who was separated from her dog during Hurricane Katrina is reunited with her pet on ``Animal Plant Heroes: Hurricane Reunions,'' at 8 p.m. Saturday. |
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