Ricardo Pimentel may not be Noah who built an ark to ride out the storm, but people are hailing him as the modern-day version of Noah. As the deadly hurricane Delta tore through the Yucatan Peninsula, leaving a path of destruction in its wake and headed towards his door, Pimentel was more worried about the hundreds of animals in its path than his safety. So he herded more than 300 dogs, rabbits, and chickens, among others, to the shelter of his home as a sanctuary from the raging storm.
Although the storm left his home beaten inside and out, the entire menagerie of animals he rescued managed to survive. According to modern-day Noah, it doesn’t matter if his house becomes dirty as he can always clean it. The things that the animals broke inside his home can be fixed, but what’s beautiful is to see them alive, happy, and safe.
Pimentel’s actions come as no surprise to those who know him. The house he shares with his family is Tierra de Animales (Land of Animals). He founded the sanctuary ten years ago, about twenty miles southwest of Cancun.
Before the storm, Pimentel posted to social media about his growing concern for his flock. He knows that supplies will be hard to come by when the storm hits. So as hurricane Delta ravaged, he posted pictures from inside his house to update everyone about their situation. It looked like 101 Dalmatians in real life, except there are three times more dogs, plus a menagerie of different animals.
While Pimentel is grateful for the generosity of the volunteers and the donors, he hopes that that moment will spotlight the larger purpose of it all, and that is to help him find forever homes for some, if not all, of his rescues so that he’ll be able to rescue even more.
The storm may have already passed, but Pimentel continues to herd animals into his sanctuary, leaving footprints of kindness for others to follow.
Source Ricardo Pimentel Cordero via Facebook