We have seen footage this week of people risking their lives to rescue inhabitants from the waters of Hurricane Harvey, but it is not only people who are being saved.

There are some other creatures who got help too.

If the photos and videos of people saving other people did not do enough to restore your faith in humanity, dozens of shelters and rescues came out to pick up hundreds of displaced animals in the area.

Most of the animals have been taken to shelters to be adopted or reunited with their humans. Moreover, the agencies and individuals are not just helping pets, they are also showing up for distressed, confused wild animals who need a hand.

No animal turned away

Among the animals who were rescued included dogs, cats, horses, bats, a hawk and even a carp that found itself partially on land.

A viral video, posted by The Dodo, showed heartwarming footage of people carrying cats and dogs out of the water, freeing a belly-deep horse from inside a stable fence, and lifting helpless bats with nets onto dry land.

Harvey the Hurricane Hawk

The hawk who didn’t want to leave the refuge of a man’s taxi, now known all over the internet as Harvey the Hurricane Hawk, was brought to the TWRC Wildlife Center in Houston. The center’s rehabilitation coordinator posted a video update on TWRC’s You Tube page that Harvey is currently residing in her home to receive medication and food so he can heal from his injuries and be released back into the wild.

“He has an injury that is preventing him from flying,” she said in a video update on TWRC’s You Tube page. “He would not have survived the storm if he had not been picked up.”

She explained that the center is currently located next to one of the reservoirs that is overflowing, and that they have been told by the city that they may get flooded in over the next couple of days.

That means the center cannot be reopened until they know more.

The agencies

Groups like The Humane Society and Dallas DogsRRR have been spending the week sifting through the flooded wreckage to pick up animals.

Dallas DogRRR, a non-profit 501(c)(3) dedicated to rescuing stray dogs 239 miles northwest of Houston, has gone down to brave the storm and taken in hundreds of dogs, according to their Instagram feed.

The group has posted regular updates on the app asking for supplies, donations, food, blankets, crates, and on occasion, the temporary use of air-conditioned facilities for the animals.

Act of 2006 expresses provisions for helping animals during natural disasters

The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act (PETS), 2006, authorizes FEMA to provide rescue, care, shelter, and essential needs for service dogs, pets and animals following a major disaster or emergency, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

The act was created after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a list of 17 lessons learned from the lack of federal response to Hurricane Katrina, posted on the archived George Bush White House website.

The report states that “during the federal response to Katrina, four critical flaws in our national preparedness became evident: our processes for unified management of the national response; command and control structures within the federal government; knowledge of our preparedness plans; and regional planning and coordination.”

The assessment concluded that the government should better integrate the contributions of volunteers and non-government organizations into the broader national effort.

It also recommended that The American Red Cross and DHS retain the responsibility to improve the process of mass care and providing shelter during disasters.

Harvey breaks rainfall record

The National Weather Service reported that Harvey has broken the known rainfall record for a tropical storm in the contiguous U.S., according to ABC News. Previously, the record had reached 48 inches. It has now risen to 51.88 inches (over four feet) in Cedar Bayou, Texas. Rescue crews will continue to pick up stranded people and animals in need.

If you would like to help the mentioned animal rescue organizations, they are accepting donations on their agency websites and posting what they need on their social media feeds.