Every resident of an Icelandic town was evacuated due to a volcano. Daring rescuers went back to save the pets

Cats, dogs, hamsters and even hens were at the centre of rescue efforts, reports Barney Davis from Iceland

Hundreds of pets have been rescued from Iceland’s town of Grindavik, after they were separated from their owners over threats of an imminent volcanic eruption.

Charities have taken part in a number of rescue efforts in a bid to save animals in the town with rescuers returning to look for animals.

Cats, dogs, hamsters and even hens were at the centre of rescue efforts after many were left behind following evacuation orders which gave residents minutes to leave. Over 4,000 people were evacuated.

Charities and other organisations stepped in to save the day as many happy reunions took place amid the bittersweet circumstances.

Hannah Everson, manager of Kattholt Animal Shelter, said she went back to the town to search for animals. She was able to collect a total of 49 animals.

Matthias and Lana Jonsson were reunited with their pugs Mafia, 3, and Maria, 1, after 11 days (Barney Davis)

Cats had been hiding in the cracks to keep warm but there are fears the molten could rise (Reuters)

She reports that many pets were traumatised and “having trouble eating, or peeing and pooping”. She said one cat in particular suffered from “after-tremor shakes” for 24 hours.

“Some of the cats are still there,” she said. “They are hiding in the cracks after the earthquake, because it’s warm there. What happens if the lava bursts through?”

The Dog and Cat Hotel in Asbru, run by Harpa Lind, Sæunn Hermannsdóttir and Elmar Magnússon, have been offering free stays for animals that couldn’t go with their owners.

Matthias and Lana Jonsson were reunited with their pugs Mafia and Maria after an excruciating 11 days when they were given just 10 minutes to leave their home.

Owners of The Dog and Cat Hotel, Harpa and Sæunn (Barney Davis)

The couple were forced to stay at a hotel that didn’t accept pets but instead were able to give them up to the Dog and Cat Hotel who were offering lodgings for free to 30 cats and 20 dogs.

Matthias said: “We had 10 minutes to grab everything we could. It was scary. We haven’t been let back in yet. To see the pictures of the town being ripped apart. We don’t know if we will ever go back again.

“It’s been absolutely horrible to be separated from them but we had no space at all.”

Maria said: “It was so heartbreaking to leave my babies but now we are a full family again.”

Ms Lind said: “There have been a lot of tears but people are just happy they dont have to give them up altogether. We wanted to help just remove that extra stress that they are going through.

“People are having to pay double rent or struggling to find places to move. Residents are still calling us and we will take them all for as long as it takes.”

Dyrfinna, a charity that specialises in reuniting lost pets with their owners, worked with first responders to secure the evacuation of animals in the town.

Following earthquakes in Grindavik, it made a painstakingly thorough attempt to map every pet that needed rescuing, which was estimated by some to be around 300.

They were also able to confirm that thousands of hens had also been evacuated by emergency workers.

In a post on X, they said: “The actions of the last few days have been characterised by a great struggle for the animals who do not have a voice and their owners.

“The owners and people in Grindavík have been very involved in getting the animals out with excellent results.”

Additional reporting by Maira Butt