A dusty football pitch has been turned into a makeshift animal sanctuary for rescued pets following the devastating Valencia floods which left more than 200 people dead.
Dozens of dogs, cats, ferrets and even horses, donkeys, turtles and an ostrich have been handed in after being found by search teams in fields and washed-out houses.
An army of vets, animal psychologists and volunteers – including one of Spain’s biggest soap stars – have joined together to help look after the animals who are cold, sick, hungry and disorientated.
When MailOnline visited Sporting Benimaclet in the centre of Valencia, animals were being scanned and those with microchips or tags taken to one side as attempts are made to trace owners.
So far 30 dogs and cats have been reunited but several calls have gone unanswered – raising fears the owners may be among the victims from the disaster which came after more than 41 square kilometres of land were flooded.
One of the many rescued dogs at Sporting Benimaclet in the centre of Valencia
A rescued cat being checked over by a member of staff at the makeshift sanctuary in Valencia
Volunteers with one of the rescued cats, which is now being looked after following the ordeal
A rescued dog at the makeshift camp, with piles of leads and pet food seen
One of the dogs rescued during the major operation in Valencia after the catastrophic floods
Among those who has fostered is British maths teacher Andy Lofthouse, 45, who took in an American pitbull called Zeus
Market researcher Lucia Navarro, 35, who is among the volunteers, told MailOnline: ‘We have had so many animals coming here since the tragedy.
‘We’ve had dogs, cats and even an ostrich and we try our best to rehouse them with their owners.
‘The animals are found by civil defence teams and brought here but we also get animals from the volunteers at the scene who bring them here for us to look after.
‘The first thing we do is look for a chip or a tag so we can call the owners, and we have had some success but, in some cases, there has been no answer, so we have to put the animal to one side.
‘Some people who answer are in tears and say they can’t take their pet back because their house has been washed away and they just don’t know how they can look after their animal, and they are heartbroken.’
Volunteers are also combing through dozens of posts on social media trying to match arrivals with appeals from owners looking for their missing pets.
If an owner is unable to collect their pet, then the animal is offered up for fostering and there have been more than 1,000 applications – more than three for everyone brought in.
Lucia joked:’ It’s a like a Tinder for animals and owners.’
One of the pets that was rescued is pictured with volunteers at the centre
One of the animals is petted after its horrible ordeal during the floods
Among those who has fostered is British maths teacher Andy Lofthouse, 45, who took in an American pitbull called Zeus.
Andy, who is originally from Leicester but has lived in Valencia for 20 years, told MailOnline: ‘Our hearts go out to the people who have been affected by what happened.
‘When you see the images it’s just awful but it’s good to see everyone pulling together trying to help.
‘We’ve had dogs before and one died last year and another just last month and so when we heard about the animal sanctuary we got in touch with them.
‘When we go down there, we saw Zeus and he was on a lead being walked around the pitch and he looked quite sad.
‘But when we went over, he was so pleased to see us and he’s a big softie really. He’s settled down with us and he’s now a much-loved part of the family.’
A rescued dog is looked after by two people at the centre in Valencia after the city was hit by catastrophic floods
Market researcher Lucia Navarro, 35, who is among the volunteers, told MailOnline: ‘We have had so many animals coming here since the tragedy’
Cages for birds and other pet equipment is stored in tents at the site
Piles of donated pet food are seen at the centre, which is housing scores of animals
Volunteers have brought in tons of pet food, as well as leads, bowls and travel cages for the animals and all the donations are sorted out in marques that have been set up.
Social researcher Carlos Perez, 28, who is also volunteering said: ‘We opened the day after the floods and are here from first thing In the morning until late at night.
‘People turn up every few minutes with animals they have found from the villages and towns that have been flooded.
‘Several dog pounds were washed away, and some are from those places, but other dogs are clearly people’s pets and it’s heartbreaking, but we try and give them love.
‘Some are aggressive at first but then the animal psychologist gets working on them and they take them for a walk, and they clam down.’
He added:’ Some of the dogs had eaten for days and were taking bites out of each other
Actress Sandra Cervera, 39, who appeared in Spain’s top soap The Secret of Puente Viejo, and is from Valencia, told MailOnline: ‘I love animals, and I just wanted to help out.
The animal rescue centre has been set up to deal with the vast number of pets that need to be rehomed or looked after until they can be reunited with their owners
The team at the centre is working tirelessly to reunite pets with their owners
‘When the animals come here, they are sad but within a few hours they change and become so friendly and happy and it’s beautiful to see.
‘Animals look after us so it’s only right that we help look after them when they are in trouble.’
Vet Fatima Azahar, who is also at the site, said: ‘The animals that come here are really traumatised and we try our best to help them.
‘We check them out and feed them and give them water and give them love, some have been in water for several days so they are cold and hungry.
‘The aim is to match them with owners as soon as possible but in cases where there is no reply because it’s possible, they have drowned we keep them to one side.
‘By law if a dog is found and it has a chip it has to be reclaimed by its owners within 21 days, but the time frames are being extended to three or four months.’
Assisting the team is also an international animal rescue team from Portugal who have recovered dozens of pets and in one case also uncovered a cannabis farm.
Footage posted on their social media site showed dozens of cannabis plants hanging up drying with an electric fan.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
