Nonprofit cares for animals injured in Lahaina as it searches for others still in the ruins

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Maui Humane Society is caring for more than 20 burned animals that survived the Lahaina wildfire.

The animals need constant care, including daily bandage changes, pain medication and antibiotics.

“It is very difficult to see these animals in such tremendous pain,” said Katie Shannon, of Maui Humane Society.

Pets like little Mamaki the cat, who suffered serious burns but has a good prognosis.

“The majority of the animals that we are caring for right now are severe burn victims,” Shannon said.

“Whether it’s the ears of cats, the whiskers that have been completely singed and unfortunately paw pads on a lot of these animals have been down to the bone or extremely raw.”

Tiffaney Davis, a foster vet tech, is caring for Nigel the cat.

“I love him and just two days ago he started trying to play ball a little bit as best as he could. So he’s getting better and getting more and more sassy every day,” Davis said.

The Maui Humane Society along with a team of animal groups are being escorted into the burn zone regularly by the National Guard. They set traps in hopes of finding more lost animals.

“We want the community to know that we are here for them and we are doing what we can to reunite them wtih their pets because pets are part of the ohana,” Shannon said.

Another animal patient in the clinic is named Hoomau. It means “to carry on” in Hawaiian.

Despite the heartbreaking loss of Lahaina, those at the humane society say t’s about perseverance for these animals — and the people who cherish them.

“This is a long road of recovery and we are in this for the long haul,” Shannon said.

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