Dartcc

Sea Lions Have a New Home! Evidence of Progress and Hope!

As of February 21st 2026 - two animals have been rescued from Marineland Canada and are now in safe and clean water!

Holly and Maui - 🦭
Two 18-year-old female seal lions have been rescued and are now acclimating at the Vancouver Aquarium. It is hopeful and encouraging to know these two marine lives are out of the Marineland site - and we continue to be thankful for the ongoing discussions for the rescue of the cetaceans (30 belugas and 4 dolphins).

It’s exciting to have hopeful rescue options emerging. The rescue of a sea lion is a massive feat of engineering and care.
Now, imagine the scale of the upcoming Beluga rescue. 🐳
Learn how you can help, below.


We want to acknowledge every hand involved in making this move possible. This is a story of progress, hope, and new beginnings.

We are celebrating Holly and Maui’s new beginning with the second-in-series Sea Lion Coloring Page! 🎨 Download your coloring page from this post or on our linked story page site below.

Take Action with Engagement
✅ Download: Get your sea lion or beluga on our Marineland Story page
✅ Personalize: Find an animal or an animal family to follow and send a note of support to the animals and the teams providing their daily, on-the-ground care.
✅ Share: Post a photo of your finished page and tag us.

Let’s show the world that the community is watching—and cheering.
🔗 Get your coloring page and the full report here: https://dartcc.org/marine-land

With EASApp™, volunteers can run emergency pet shelters with ease. Centralizing data, replacing paper, and streamlining operations so pets get the care they need when families are displaced.
We’re delighted to welcome The State of Massachusetts Animal Resource Team (SMART), Vermont Guardian Angel Ministries (GAM), Butler County Animal Response Team (BuCART), Kansas State Animal Response Team (KSART) and Kansas Sedgwick County Animal Response Team (SCART), Front Range Veterinary Medical Reserve Corps (FRVMRC), as partners in strengthening disaster preparedness.

Together, we’re building safer, more resilient communities.

In a disaster, people won’t leave without their pets—and that can be life or death.

When Hurricane Katrina struck 20 years ago, thousands of pets were left behind. Many families refused to evacuate without them—tragically putting both lives and rescue operations at risk.

That heartbreaking lesson led to the PETS Act of 2006, requiring disaster plans to include animals. Because when pets are safe, people are safer too.

At DARTCC, we’ve taken that lesson to heart. Our EASApp platform helps emergency managers plan evacuations that keep families—pets included—together. With real-time shelter capacity, pet tracking, and reunification tools, we’re ensuring no one gets left behind.

Technology can’t stop disasters, but it can make our response more humane, resilient, and effective. And sometimes, protecting what people love most is what saves lives.

👉 How does your community integrate pets into emergency planning?

https://www.npr.org/2025/08/26/nx-s1-5467727/hurricane-katrina-pets-animal-rescue-disaster

This was preventable. And if we don’t act, it will happen again.

The Texas Floods weren’t just a “natural disaster”—they were the result of decades of defunding and neglect.

➡️ 20% of key forecasting roles at the National Weather Service are unfilled.
➡️ NOAA has lost nearly 1,000 employees in recent years.
➡️ FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund is running dangerously low.

When disaster strikes, early warnings save lives. However, when we dismantle the systems that issue those warnings, we put every family, every home, and every pet at risk.

👉 Don’t wait until your town is underwater.
📞 Contact your members of Congress today and demand restored funding to FEMA, NOAA, and the National Weather Service.

How good was the forecast? Texas officials and the National Weather Service disagree As searchers continue to look for victims in the deadly flash flooding in Texas, officials are answering questions about the weather forecasts ahead of and during the storm.

Since June is Pet Preparedness Month, and Butler County has experienced its own disaster this month, we want to remind you of the importance of having a preparedness plan and evacuation go kit for you and your pets.

BuCART set up a pet evacuation shelter during the flooding. None of the pets we sheltered had an evacuation kit or important pet information and health records.

Having an evacuation kit and pet information makes it easier, and safer, for the responders caring for your pets.