In all the tragedy and confusion left by Hurricane Katrina (as well as poor planning and response, frankly), let us not forget those creatures who had no choice about whether to leave or not, because they needed help from their human companions in order to do so.

The news is most distressing from the Aquarium of the Americas, in New Orleans itself: because of the breakdown of society and law and order, the caretakers at the aquarium were forced to flee, leaving the animals there without food and care:

"Although the Aquarium of the Americas, at the bottom of Canal Street in New Orleans, survived the initial onslaught of Hurricane Katrina on Monday, the fight to save the animals took a turn for the worse on Wednesday when staff were forced to abandon the aquarium as the water level continued to rise.

According to reports, staff fed the animals one last time and put the remainder of fuel in the backup generator to maintained proper temperatures to keep the sea life healthy, before leaving."

And, here is a copy of the article as reported in the Chicago Tribube (printer-friendly posted here - the Tribune requires registration):

Workers forced to evacuate New Orleans aquarium but not the zoo

BY WILLIAM MULLEN

Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO - (KRT) - Whether marine mammals and fishes are being fed and cared for at New Orleans' Aquarium of the Americas remains a mystery after officials evacuated keepers late last week over concern about violence in the area.

The sleek, state-of-the-art aquarium, a popular, new city landmark built on the levee at Canal Street on the Mississippi riverfront, reportedly weathered Hurricane Katrina with little physical damage. It is in the central business and tourist district, however, where looters and gunfire have been reported.

There is no indication looters have targeted the building, said Jane Ballentine, a spokeswoman for the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, or AZA, based in Washington, D.C.

But the picture of what is happening is sketchy at best, Ballentine said. The zoo association gets infrequent updates from one official in the city who manages to make an occasional call, she said.

The Audubon Nature Institute of New Orleans, which owns the aquarium and the Audubon Zoo in another part of town, has been working with police and firefighters to protect the building, she said, and may be arranging to shuttle in crews to care for the animals.

"It's very difficult to get information still about what is happening," Ballentine said. "We're trying to establish a safe route to bring in more supplies. Once there is a route open to us, we'll be able to mobilize and get them what they need."

The zoo, a major attraction with 1,800 animals, is in a quieter part of the city, where a crew of 12 has remained around the clock, feeding and tending to the animals.

"While limited, they have supplies to care for animals, a working generator and are in fairly good spirits," Ballentine said. "The storm damage was not major, a lot of branches down and debris, but no major trees falling over."

A small aquarium, the Marinelife Oceanarium in Gulfport, Miss., not a member of the AZA, apparently fared much worse, said Ballentine, with major storm damage to the building and injuries to some animals, though reports are incomplete. Zoos in Baton Rouge, La.; Alexandria, La.; Jackson, Miss.; Birmingham, Ala.; and Montgomery, Ala., sustained only minor damage.

On Friday the AZA announced a national fundraising initiative headed by Lincoln Park Zoo President Kevin Bell to help the New Orleans zoo and aquarium.

People can donate through www.lpzoo.org or by sending a check, marked Hurricane Katrina Relief and payable to The Lincoln Park Zoo Society, to Lincoln Park Zoo, P.O. Box 14903, Chicago, Ill., 60614.

Chicago's three member institutions, the Lincoln Park and Brookfield Zoos and the Shedd Aquarium, kicked off the campaign by contributing at least $35,000 each.

Through the end of business Monday, the Shedd also will contribute $1 from every ticket sold to aquarium visitors to hurricane relief. There will also be "donation stations" at the aquarium where guests can donate additional money.

© 2005, Chicago Tribune.

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As the Tribune article mentions, the Lincoln Park Zoo has set up a donation program.