Cynthia and Laura both recently called in with reports on what is going on at Lamar-Dixon. As we reported last night, many animals were evacuated to other shelters in the face of Hurricane Rita. There are, however, many animals left.

Cynthia said that there are about 200 people left to care for the animals. This "skeleton crew" is down from a high of about 500 people. This will hopefully be enough to care for the remaining animals.

Volunteers were woken up the morning by national guardsmen with bullhorns telling them to evacuate, but this core group of volunteers will not be leaving. They want to stay with the animals to help keep them calm through the storm.

We will post further updates and pictures as we get them. Laura’s excellent photos from her time at Lamar-Dixon will be posted this afternoon.