NEWS AND COMMENT: The video tells the harrowing story. They were all terrified. He says his fear was 11 out of 10. They'd been feeding deer before the wild fires. When they returned home after their terrifying escape, they discovered that the fire had killed the deer. She had fawns. I presume they are dead too. Lots of wildlife has been killed by the Greek fires which have forced thousands of holiday-makers to abandon their vacation sometimes at great expense.
Euronews reports that many Greeks abandoned their pets when under extreme pressure to leave their homes resulting in many animal deaths. Was this necessary? Couldn't they have prepared earlier knowing the fires were approaching?
Personally, I am critical of pet owners who abandon their animals when a wild fire approaches as there is always plenty of forewarning.
Although I don't know the exact circumstances, it could be argued that the British couple featured in the video left their home too late. They were forced to take great risks to escape, driving into flames around the road.
I just don't see it like others. I feel that a lot of home owners are very reluctant to leave their homes when there is a wildfire in the area. They hope that the fire will move away from them. They wait and wait until forced to flee. But in doing that they jeopardise their lives and the lives of their pets.
Of course, it is easy for me to be a little critical but I think I am right. Leaving at the last minute is understandable as they want to protect their home and contents. They could lose it all. The lady in the video lost her car which was uninsured as it was a classic.
As often happens, it is the companion animals who can be the innocent victims if people leave it too late to get out. There is an added responsibility on cat and dog caregivers under these emergency situations. Playing safe is the better option in discharging that responsibility I'd say.
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