Animal-welfare groups moved into Batangas province on 13 January 2020 after Taal Volcano began hurling ash, retrieving dogs, cats, chickens, cows and horses left tethered or wandering in towns coated with grey powder. Teams from the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia and local volunteer network Guardians of the Fur set up makeshift shelters, provided feed and veterinary care, and appealed for donations of cash, food and leashes to keep the operation running.
Rescue teams fan out across ash-covered towns
By Monday morning, PAWS vans had reached Talisay, one of the lakeside municipalities placed under total lock-down because of continuing volcanic tremors. Volunteers found two dogs still chained beside a house; the animals had survived on rainwater and scraps. “We heard him howling pitifully across the road,” PAWS wrote on its website beside a video of the emaciated dog later named Marble. “There were two of them, chained dogs (and two chickens, who were, at least, free), among the hundreds of animals left behind by their owners who have evacuated.”
PETA Asia staff in protective masks scoured Balete and Laurel, loading horses used for tourist rides into flat-bed trucks after calming animals spooked by the sulphur smell. Guardians of the Fur, a Batangas-based collective formed during the 2018 typhoon season, concentrated on Agoncillo and San Nicolas, ferrying out more than 150 chickens and a dozen cows whose owners had fled on fishing boats across Taal Lake. All rescued livestock were temporarily housed at the provincial capitol grounds in Batangas City where veterinarians checked for burned eyes and clogged lungs.
Ash poses acute risk to lungs and hooves
Volcanic ash is powdered rock less than two millimetres wide; when inhaled the particles irritate bronchial tubes and can solidify into cement-like sludge in moist lungs. “Animals breathe faster than we do, so they take in more ash per kilo of body weight,” said Dr. Ana Robles of the Batangas Veterinary Office. Cows that graze close to the ground ingest additional ash clinging to grass, leading to gut blockages. Horses suffer hoof abscesses when wet ash packs into the frog of the foot and traps bacteria.
PAWS volunteers fitted dogs with improvised cloth masks dampened to filter dust, while PETA staff rinsed horses’ legs every two hours. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) warned that ash fall can also alter lake pH, threatening the freshwater fish on which many evacuees depend. “We know that residents have evacuated, but if we can take care of the animals even temporarily, let’s do it,” DENR Undersecretary Benny Antiporda said in a radio interview Monday afternoon.
Donations pour in but logistics remain tight
Within 24 hours of launching online appeals, PAWS collected more than PHP 450,000 (USD 8,850) in cash and two tonnes of dog and cat food. Yet road closures and a 14-kilometre danger zone complicated delivery. “Our van can carry only fifteen crates at a time, and we have a list of 400 more animals,” Guardians of the Fur coordinator Mavic Pineda told local station DZBB. The group asked for collars, slip leads and large plastic carriers so that one vehicle can secure multiple pets without wasting precious minutes fashioning rope halters.
PETA Asia shipped veterinary supplies from Manila that included 500 doses of antibiotics, 200 flu masks cut to canine size, and 50 kilos of mineral oil to soothe skin burned by acidic ash. “Every hour counts,” said PETA campaigner Jana Sevilla. “Ash continues to fall and temperatures drop at night; dehydrated animals can go into shock quickly.” Volunteers prioritised lactating females and young foals because they weaken fastest.
Government opens evacuation centres for livestock
Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas issued an executive order late Monday designating three public arenas as “animal evacuation centres” where owners can leave livestock until the alert level drops. The provincial veterinary office set up water troughs and hay stations, while the army sent soldiers to build bamboo fencing. Owners receive claim tags to prevent disputes when normal life resumes. DENR regional director Maria Paz Luna asked residents who spot wildlife, including the endemic Calamian deer kept in small private farms, to turn animals over to the nearest DENR community environment office rather than trying to sell them.
The agriculture department estimates 3,000 head of cattle, 7,000 swine and uncounted poultry remain inside the 14-km danger ring. Teams hope to finish the first sweep by the weekend if wind conditions allow. Veterinarians warn that even animals showing no outward signs need monitoring for at least two weeks because silicate particles can trigger pneumonia long after skies clear.
Taal’s unrest has displaced 30,000 people and an unknown number of animals, but the quick arrival of volunteer groups has already shifted the odds for many. With fresh donations arriving hourly and government centres now open, rescuers plan wider circuits on Tuesday, determined to bring every surviving creature out of the grey zone before the volcano roars again.
