Animals Abandoned in Iceland as Volcano Eruption Fears Grow

Pet owners were forced to leave their animals behind when Icelandic residents evacuated a coastal town after a nearby volcano began showing signs of an impending eruption.

Hundreds of earthquakes were recorded this past Friday, with thousands of tremors occurring near the Fagradalsfjall volcano in recent weeks, the BBC reported. A magma tunnel extending across the town Grindavík also was discovered, heightening fears that an eruption was imminent. Iceland has since declared a state of emergency because of the threat, and police have ordered residents to evacuate Grindavík, a coastal town of nearly 4,000 people.

Unfortunately, some residents were required to leave their pets behind—a decision that had people furious on social media because they thought the animals could face a horrific volcanic eruption or go for weeks without food and water before their owners were permitted to return.

The volcano was silent for nearly 800 years until 2021. An eruption has occurred roughly every year afterward, with the most recent eruption occurring in July south of Reykjavík.

On Saturday, Iceland's Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management said on Facebook that rescuers would not focus on removing livestock or domestic animals from the area.

"The chief of police in Suðurnes has decided that livestock and domestic animals are not rescued from a defined danger zone due to the earthquakes in Reykjanes, at the moment," the post said. "The area is closed to all human journeys, until further notice."

A press release by the department added that responders are "on standby" to help the animals if the "circumstances change."

Newsweek reached out to the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management by email for comment.

The post infuriated dozens of people, with more than a hundred comments questioning the decision.

"Why won't you save them? Well at least I know for next disaster that I will not leave until my animals are to safety," one user commented. "This is a dangerous precedent to set."

Another wrote: "This decision is obviously very poorly received. People outside of Iceland are horrified that animals would be left to starve or burn when efforts were possible all day today and owners expected to get their pets and livestock. Rescue has to be organized, and fast. This is appalling."

Another commenter said, "I understand that the poor large farm animals are more difficult to transport but a cat? This is very sad to know the animals will be left without food and water and to possibly burn alive in the worst case scenario."

Shortly after the post, the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management published an update saying that residents were allowed to return briefly for pets or important documents.

"The chief of police in Suðurnes has taken a decision to allow residents into a defined area in Lórkötlustaðahverfi in Grindavík, it is done solely to collect pets and essential belongings," the post said.