Residents trying to flee Puerto Rico are faced with a heartbreaking decision on top of the devastating situation in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

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Federal restrictions and airline regulations in Puerto Rico do not allow residents who are leaving to bring pets that are more than 20 pounds with them, forcing families to leave their dogs behind or not leave at all. Animals larger than 20 pounds are prohibited in planes because federal authorities are using the cargo space to transport supplies.

According to Sylvie Bedrosian, president of Pet Friendly in Puerto Rico about 2,000 locals have left their four-legged family members behind because of the embargo. Many animal shelters were already at full capacity before Hurricane Maria struck the island. The catastrophic damage has made it difficult for animal shelters to have power or running water. “We used to wonder for abandoned pets on the streets and now have to worry about those left on the airports,” Bedrosian explained.

While some airlines such as JetBlue and Southwest have modified their policy to allow eight pets on board, Bedrosian adds that this is not enough because a lot of pets do not weigh less than 20 pounds. Bedrosian says the embargo violates the No Pet Left Behind FEMA Act put in place after Hurricane Katrina that “authorizes FEMA to provide rescue, care, shelter, and essential needs for individuals with household pets and service animals, and to the household pets and animals themselves following a major disaster or emergency.”

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In order to transport abandoned pets, there are a lot of expensive legal hurdles, such as issuing health certificates and ensuring legal ownership, so that pets are claimed once they arrive to the US. Luckily local non-profit organizations such as Wings of Rescue are trying their best to transport pets left behind to their families or happy homes.