Save the whales.

Rescue the rare, red-cockaded woodpecker.

Protect the Louisiana black bear, the West Indian manatee, little Jimmy’s Australian Shepherd and sweet Susie’s Yorkshire Terrier.

Organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Emergency Animal Rescue Service (EARS) and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) have banded together to rescue and to resuscitate wild and domestic animals that have been abandoned, surrendered, or lost as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine has set up a makeshift emergency animal shelter in its coliseum, housing roughly 2,000 dogs, cats, pigs, rabbits, hamsters, ferrets, birds, tortoises and even horses.

Volunteers work countless hours providing veterinary care, food, water, housing, and affection to those whose fate lies solely in the hands of these workers.

However, while thousands of pets have been rescued from the floods, tens of thousands are still left.

In the recent passing weeks, the government ordered an evacuation of New Orleans, using force if necessary. Animals were barred from this order, resulting in many distraught pet owners and a growing number of abandoned animals to be left behind.

Many may recall an incident in which an officer ripped a small, white dog from a young boy’s arms before boarding a bus from the Superdome; no pets allowed. The boy screamed the dog’s name and cried until he vomited in anguish. The fate of the dog, “Snowball,” is still unknown.

The victims of Hurricane Katrina have already lost so much; as if it is not enough to lose their home, their belongings, and in many cases, their family, many evacuees will now be forced to leave their pets behind.

Forcing evacuees to abandon their pets will do nothing but cause more residents of Katrina-affected areas to refuse to leave out of loyalty to man’s best friend, leaving rescuers no choice but to use forceful evacuation.

Currently, there is a need for adoptive homes for abandoned pets. Allowing hurricane victims to bring their animals with them could be the best chance their pets could get at a second life.

Understandably, human beings should reign supreme on the rescue hierarchy. There is no need for an animal to take the place of a person on a rescue boat.

However, this is not to say that pets should not be rescued with their owners. Pets could be the only comfort the evacuees have anymore, and if they ease the pain throughout this ordeal, rescuers should respect that.