© Manitoba Animal Alliance/Facebook Desmond Castel stands in front of a helicopter with volunteers from the Manitoba Animal Alliance. When everyone from Pukatawagan was leaving the northern Manitoba community to flee the dangers of wildfires, Desmond Castel decided to stay back. Castel is part of the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, also known as Pukatawagan, which is currently under evacuation. Vandekerkhove said the organization is currently raising money so they can go back to Pukatwagan, and she estimates there are hundreds of animals Castel is caring for. Vandekerkhove says in the coming days, she'll be reaching out to the First Nation's leadership and the province to see how they plan to handle the animals left behind.

Source: CBC News July 31, 2022 15:32 UTC