More updates on rescuing animals stranded by Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike continues to take its toll in Texas. The Houston Chronicle reports on efforts near Lubbock, Texas:

Agriculture officials said late Tuesday they've found about 4,000 dead cows in portions of two Southeast Texas counties searched in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.

Some cows left stranded or that perished might never be found, though. "They're being eaten by alligators," said Kathleen Phillips, spokeswoman for the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Meanwhile, the storm's strong winds and heavy rains heavily damaged the rice crop, equipment and storage facilities east of Houston. One official estimated losses will be in the millions of dollars.

"It's not a pretty sight," Dwight Roberts, chief executive officer and president of the Houston-based U.S. Rice Producers Association, said Tuesday while out assessing losses.

The Beaumont Enterprise also checks on rescue efforts:

The Humane Society team arrived with land rescue vehicles, boats, a mobile command center and a 75-foot transport vehicle capable of carrying 200 animals to safe ground.

Sleeping in tents and trucks behind the Beaumont animal shelter, the animal rescuers are coping with limited resources like many in Southeast Texas.

And, finally, the Galveston County Daily News weighs in:

Many residents left their pets with what they thought was enough food and water to get them through a few days. But when the storm’s devastation was much worse than people expected and recovery efforts dragged on, panicked residents started calling the city’s emergency operations center to ask police officers to check on their animals.

Volunteers set up a temporary shelter in the police substation, bringing trailers full of food, cages, leashes and medicine with them. Truckloads of supplies continued to arrive throughout the afternoon.

-- Alice Short

Photo: Ida Navejar, 19, an evacuee from Galveston, Texas, dresses one of her pet Chihuahuas during a visit with her family's five animals, which are being boarded at the Austin Humane Society. Credit: Harry Cabluck / Associated Press