L'AQUILA, Italy, April 10 (UPI) -- Volunteers opened a temporary shelter for pets Thursday outside L'Aquila, the Italian city devastated by an earthquake.
The tent set up by volunteers from the Animal Protection Department in Rome treated its first patient within minutes of going up, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. Giorgina, a terrier working as a rescue dog, had injured its paw during the searches through L'Aquila.
The shelter also treated a cat that broke several bones during the quake Monday.
The animal shelter is next to a tent city for human survivors in Vittorino, about 6 miles from L'Aquila.
''Our goal is to create semi-permanent shelters that will care for those animals who have been left alone after the quake or whose owners are temporarily unable to care for them but who want them nearby,'' said Paolo Tarantino, a coordinator.
Animal rescuers estimated Wednesday that about 5,000 pets were wandering in L'Aquila. Two other groups have begun efforts to collect donations for animals and to coordinate the work of volunteer veterinarians.
