L.A. Animal Rescuers Blast Bass for Botched Response to Palisades Fire in New PETA Video

As cleanup of the devastating Palisades Fire continues, PETA has just released a powerful new video featuring animal rescuers, locals, and CSI star Jorja Fox calling out the city for its total lack of preparedness in protecting and saving companion animals during and after the tragedy.

“We had a FEMA-certified disaster response team ready to go in and save animals,” says Simone Reyes, Vice President of Social Compassion in Legislation, in the video. “The city had no plan. Messages into the Mayor’s office went unanswered,” says PETA Director of Outreach Ashley Byrne.

Bass and Animal Services were shockingly nonresponsive to residents and animal protection groups attempting to enter the burn zone to search for missing cats and dogs after the fires had been contained. PETA worked with Social Compassion in Legislation to assemble a team of rescuers, but for days, the city ignored their requests for authorization to enter the zone legally. More than a week passed before Animal Services set up a hotline for residents or announced any plans to rescue animals—and once rescue began, the agency reportedly relied only on Animal Control officers who had little to no professional trapping experience and only attempted to trap cats during the day, when the animals were in hiding.

“Many animal companions who survived the fires wandered the rubble for weeks, terrified, hungry, and alone, while L.A. Animal Services ignored their families’ desperate pleas for help saving them,” says Byrne. “PETA is calling on Mayor Bass and the city of Los Angeles to ensure this shameful negligence never happens again by putting in place a comprehensive plan to help animals—before the next disaster hits.”

In addition to actor Jorja Fox, featured in PETA’s video are president and co-founder of Women United for Animal Welfare Valarie Ianniello, president of The Animal Rescue Mission Shira Scott Astrof, and Palisades resident Trish Alison, who lost her home in the fire and whose beloved cat Penelope was missing for four weeks before being rescued with the help of Ianniello and other animal protection organizations.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.