From hawk to horse: Animal rescues during Hurricane Harvey

As the full extent of the damage from Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana starts to become clear, many of us have been glued to coverage of urgent rescues, including of people's pets.

A storm of this magnitude, with its unprecedented levels of rain and flooding, affects many animals in addition to our companion dogs and cats. There's great concern for cows and other livestock whose lives are threatened by the rising waters.

Animals who might not come first into our minds as hurricane victims are impacted also. This video, based on reporting by KXAS/NBC Dallas's Brian Curtis, shows an exhausted and trembling possum resting on a bridge in downtown Houston.

Apparently this possum was not taken to shelter. I have been uplifted, though, to see how many other animals have been rescued by people who reach out with help.

Here are just a few of my favorite examples.

Perhaps the most famous non-pet rescue, so far, is of a hawk that has been named Harry. Harry climbed into a taxi cab to shelter from the storm -- and a video of this went viral. Harry, seen in another video wearing a tail guard protector, is now being cared for by staff of the Texas Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, who are assessing his injuries and who believe he wouldn't have survived the storm without rescue.

A woman named Jamie Yuna posted a video of her husband Jeff and his nephew who transported a grass carp from shallow flooding waters back into a pond at a golf course affected by Harvey.

A woman identified as Alicia Plunkett was filmed by Jason Allen of Dallas's CBS station as she saved bats in danger of drowning.

The fire department of College Station, a city in Texas, posted this video of their rescue of a horse stranded by Harvey floodwaters.

Videos like these help remind us to widen our circle of compassion in natural disasters.

For those of us able to make a donation to help human victims displaced by Hurricane Harvey, the idea of sending funds along also to animal rescue organizations is a good one.

The work of first responders and "regular" people who are stepping up to help in Harvey's wake — with human and non-human rescues both — is evidence of courage and compassion.

Barbara J. King is an anthropology professor emerita at the College of William and Mary. She often writes about the cognition, emotion and welfare of animals, and about biological anthropology, human evolution and gender issues. Barbara's new book is Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat. You can keep up with what she is thinking on Twitter: @bjkingape