In the two weeks since fountains of lava and poisonous gas spewed from the volcano, volunteers have made heroic efforts to retrieve a veritable Noah’s Ark of dogs and cats, geese and ducks, cows and goats, horses, cattle and exotic birds. Many were reuniting with their owners at evacuation shelters.

The animal-friendly Red Cross shelter in Pahoa, a town about 25 miles (40 km) east of the volcano, has about 100 dogs and 30 cats, along with bunnies, birds and pigs, said Burgandy Singleton, a Hawaii Island Humane Society volunteer.

“Quite the crazy farm right now,” Singleton said. “We are housing everything from wee little creatures to ginormous beasts and no trouble. With that many personalities mixing it up, it’s been amazing.”