Denise Erickson, animal control officer of Luce County, left for Louisiana Friday, September 23, with a truck, three assistants, and a 30-foot horse trailer to pick up homeless animals and bring them back to the U.P. for adoption. According to George Ford, president of the Mackinac Animal Aid Association, about 30 animals will be brought back and distributed between six eastern U.P. counties including Mackinac, Luce, and Chippewa.

Ms. Erickson’s team includes Lois Fighter, Jan Maskus, and Patty Newby. According to Terry Stark, chairman of the Luce Animal Control Committee, the group raised $5,000 for the effort. Ms. Erickson and her team brought relief supplies for Hurricane Katrina survivors as well as cages and vaccines for the returning animals.

The animals to be brought back to the U.P. are not among the hordes of pets left wandering in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Ms. Erickson and her team will return with animals already housed in shelters before the storm struck the region.

“This aids shelters down there,” Mr. Ford said. By taking animals from shelters, others lost or abandoned due to the storm will find space in existing facilities, increasing their chances of being reunited with their families.

St. Ignace will be the first stop when the group returns with the beleaguered animal refugees.

The Mackinac Animal Aid Association has set up a Web site detailing the project at www.cedarville.net/upkare. UPKARE stands for Upper Peninsula Katrina Animal Rescue Effort. Photos, descriptions, and profiles of the animals will be available at the Web site for qualified animal lovers interested in adoption. The site was made possible by the staff of Mothers Computers of Cedarville, which donated the time and effort necessary to get the information online.

“We are interested in qualified volunteers to foster the pets,” said Mr. Ford. “This would help keep space open for other incoming animals from our area.”

Permission to house the animals was given by county commissioners last week. According to Mr. Ford, the animals brought to the U.P. will be subject to stringent examinations prior to leaving Louisiana and will have had all necessary vaccinations. The Mackinac Animal Aid Association will spay or neuter animals that have not had the operations.

The Association has a 98 percent placement rate, and Mr. Ford and his staff are confident homes can be found for the animals from Louisiana.

“If this project is successful,” he said, “we may do it again.”