The pandemic has hurt local efforts to spay and neuter feral cats. Photo courtesy of For Pets’ Sake.

Since COVID-19 has spread across the globe, wild animals have begun showing up, not just in backyards, but in city streets emptied of pedestrians and traffic and on roadways, beaches, mountain trails and waterways suddenly devoid of humans.

Many millions of viewers have shared videos of this hopeful phenomenon, as a gesture from Mother Nature giving us a peek of what we can do better when, like the animals, we are let out of lock-down.

Prior to this time our domestic pets were already the favored post on social media. They reign supreme atop exotic foods and politics and rock and roll events. It has been no different during the pandemic except that pets now share the monitor with returning wild animals, seemingly oblivious to our voyeurism, who bring us moments of empathy, compassion, beauty, and rest from the wearying fear implicit in the spread of COVID-19.

COVID adoptions

Thankfully many of the wildly positive reports are true. According to a recent story in National Geographic Magazine, a jellyfish was truly caught on camera swimming in nearly crystal-clear waters of the Venice canals “really close to San Marco Square,” says the biologist filmmaker, Andrea Magoni. And for good reason, “during the lockdown [the combination of] significantly low tide and low traffic on the Venice canals led to the deposition of sediments on the bottom [of the canals] which led to an increased transparency in the water,” which led to the popular short video he made going viral on news channels and social media.

Local resident Summer Singleton with Bilboa,
who has enjoyed Summer being at home.

“It is the most heartwarming of them all,” said Cindy Yurth, president of Blackhat Humane Society, a not-for-profit based in Chinle, Ariz., on the Navajo Nation..

“For the first time ever we can see our effect on the environment and see the benefit to the animals with these shelter–in-place orders.”

It’s also true at Blackhat, she says. “For the first time ever all our adoptable dogs have found new, forever homes, probably kicking up their heels with glee.”

She admitted that while wondrous, it is surprising. It could be that people had time at home away from work to check in on the internet site where the group posts the latest photos and stories of reservation rescue dogs ready for adoption and could take the time to adopt carefully. It could also be a quixotic human correlation to the disenfranchised animals.

Blackhat supporters are extremely loyal, she adds. Their financial contributions have not dwindled during the pandemic, and most surprising is the continuing growth of adoption requests. “They are way up. If we were able to transport every animal that comes on the list we would be averaging four or five a week.” The group has been operating for 19 years.

Dogs that are released to their care or found abandoned are first placed in Blackhat foster homes, where they receive shots, spay/neuter procedures, restorative medical care and house training if they need it.

Once ready for a new home the match is made from their website. The dogs are then transported from foster homes to the new owner.

“They go all over the region,” says Yurth, “rural and urban homes, as far away as Salt Lake City and Denver, even to the east coast.” Many are placed with Native American families, too.

The transfer leg of the operation has been impacted by pandemic guidelines and regulations in each state and on tribal land. The complex diversity of government responses creates a tapestry of regional requirements issued to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

“It takes a lot of strategic planning. We have been careful in our requests to build a network of people in multiple locations able to meet another vehicle at a state border, for instance, like building a relay of essential errands linking the transport process together. We’ve been able to transport with great care and respect for everyone and all jurisdictions involved, using masks and social distancing, while respecting curfews and state line restrictions, doing it all from our home computers, too.”

But Yurth expects deep personal sorrow will come to Blackhat during the pandemic. “This morning I got a call from a grazing officer in Many Farms, Ariz., explaining that one of their grandmothers passed away from COVID-19.” She left seven dogs, he told her. “Can Blackhat take them for us? Can you help?’”

Of course they will, Yurth replied. “Sadly, there will be more requests as people die from the virus. The dogs will need new homes.”

Feral cat nursery

Things do not look so cheery for the feral cat colonies in Montezuma and Dolores counties where For Pets’ Sake Humane Society, based in Cortez, has run a successful feral cat program. It was suspended early in the stay-at-home phase of the pandemic.

Many feral kittens have been born in Southwest Colorado this year. Photo courtesy of For Pets’ Sake.

For Pets’ Sake also supports foster care and transport for abandoned animals, spay/ neuter assistance, and emergency medical pet care. All of the programs are funded almost entirely by local events that are cancelled for the coming year. Only the feral cat colony program was put on hold.

In a recent phone call, Marian Rohman, who heads the feral cat program, explained that when state guidelines were announced the group knew their projects would be greatly impacted. The feral cat colony efforts stopped because it is a contact process. The program is entirely volunteer-run and involves close personal contact work, meaning that social distancing is not feasible, nor maintaining a sanitized sit for volunteers.

It handles hundreds of cats in the counties. By working with people in the immediate area of a cat colony, they set up weatherproof shelters and begin feeding the felines every day. Within weeks they trap, neuter and return the cats to the same location, where they continue feeding them.

Some cats show that they want to live with people. If that’s the case For Pets’ Sake finds homes for them. If a female has had kittens, volunteers also trap all the kittens. The feral animals all get rabies vaccinations and, when possible, any sick or injured cats are treated at local clinics.

Now, the feral female cats are pregnant, said Rohman. “Within weeks we’ll see 200 to 250 feral kittens born to the females we couldn’t spay during the pandemic.”

At this time they don’t know when they will reopen the project nor how long it will take to catch up to that impact. It will be years of work even when they are able to resume it safely.

Like most groups, For Pets’ Sake never anticipated such a disaster as the pandemic. What is surprising, Rohman explained, is the reduction in the number of calls for spay/neuter and other pet-related medical issues. They usually field numerous calls every day. But, she said, “there were none during the six-week stay-at-home orders. Now, just this week, as the state and county consider partially lifting the restrictions we are seeing a slight increase.”

For Pets’ Sake’s much-anticipated spring yard sale always attracts thousands of people. The event brings $12,000 to $15,000 directly to the nonprofit’s programs. But it had to be canceled.

New approaches to that fundraiser and others will replace the efforts and hopefully replenish the coffers.

“Plans are in the works, but not there yet. At the moment we are treading water,” said Rohman, “about to sink.”

Seventeen percent of their $152,000 budget comes through grants. The rest is money either donated or raised at local events. The organization is, like Blackhat, all volunteer.

“So you can see we spend it all – and last year we even had a little left over from the year before. Our administrative expenses, including things like advertising, printing, insurance, etc., are a very small part of our expenses – the rest is spent at our local businesses, mostly the veterinarians and some for buying pet food.”

In our rural community animals represent a large chunk of the local economy. Our humane societies also contribute to the revenue stream and the quality of life. It is not surprising that the stay-at-home orders brought negative impacts to local humane societies. But it was also a time of increased appreciation for animals.

Erin Vogel, a social psychologist and postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University agrees. She told National Geographic that “getting a lot of likes and comments [on social media] gives us immediate rewards. In times when we’re all really lonely, it’s tempting to hold onto that feeling, especially if we’re posting something that gives people a lot of hope, the idea that animals and nature could actually flourish during the crisis could give us a sense of meaning and purpose – that we went through this for a reason.”

When we disconnect from the quarantine and go back to workplaces, we will leave our dogs and cats at home. They will re-adjust to our absence. Although they are not the wild animals that have moved us so deeply during the past weeks on our computer screens, they are our real responsibility.

LOCAL HUMANE SOCIETIES

Blackhat Humane Society:. Foster care for abandoned and surrendered animals on the Navajo Reservation, restorative medical care, spay/neuter and vaccinations and adoption. https://www.blackhathumanesociety.org, blackhathumane@gmail. com

Cortez Animal Shelter: Adoption, lost pet services, pet licenses. Kennel Supervisor, Jennifer Crouse. 2791 E Main Street, Cortez, CO 81321, Mon.–Fri., 10–4. 970-565-4910 Fax: 970-564-9758

Denkai Animal Sanctuary: Adoption, vaccines, low income food bank. Thrift store and Adoption center, Mon.– Fri.:10–5; Sat. 10–3. 209 W Main St., Cortez, CO 81321, 970-516-1738

For Pets’ Sake: Foster care for cats and dogs awaiting adoption, financial assistance for spay/neuter, helps pay for local emergency veterinary car, low cost vaccination clinics, feral cat colony program, Adopt a Doghouse Project., P.O. Box 1705 Cortez, CO 81321, http://www.forpetssakehs.org, info@forpetssakehs.org, 970- 565-7387

Stuart McLagan Porter was a vigorous 82-year-old living in Montezuma County, Colo., when he contracted COVID-19. He chose to fight the virus outside of the hospital so he wouldn’t be separated from his wife.

He died at his home in Yellow Jacket on April 6.

He became one of the county’s two fatalities from the novel coronavirus that has become a global pandemic, infecting well over 3.5 million people worldwide and killing more than a quarter-million.

At press time, Montezuma County had had 18 positive test results and 345 negatives. Eleven people were said to have recovered. How to view the county’s statistics is a matter that has spawned much discussion.

At a meeting April 29 between the county commissioners and local health officials, the director of the county health department, Bobbi Lock, said that two fatalities out of the county’s known cases of COVID-19 (then at 16) was a high number.

“But both those cases were very compromised people, they had underlying medical conditions,” commented Commissioner Keenan Ertel.

Information about the second fatality has not been made publicly available. But Cara Jo Rieb – one of Porter’s four children and one of two who live in Cortez – said in an message to the Four Corners Free Press that her father appeared to have years of good health ahead of him until the virus struck.

“My brother Danny and I were just talking this morning about all the plans dad had for the coming months,” she said. “He loved Spring time; not too hot, not too cold. He loved wildlife and his land. He had just hiked his canyon at Yellow Jacket a few days before he got really sick. He was very youthful, energetic and healthy for an 82-year-old.

“He had a garden, a nice yard and several ponds for wildlife and since they live off the grid, there are always many things that kept him busy. He had planned to help Dan with his cabin and to restore some logs at his house. He had irrigated for Mike Porter for several Summers. I went with him once and couldn’t believe how physically exhausting it was. He did it morning and night and planned to do it again this Summer.

“He and [his wife] Sharon had recently picked out a puppy from the shelter, so he obviously thought he had years left. He has a brother who is 92, a sister who is 90 and another brother who is 87. Longevity was on his side. I feel like we’ve been robbed of years with him.”

Edgy and angry

The virus that took Porter’s life is called SARS-CoV-2; the illness it produces is called COVID-19. The virus is one of seven in the coronavirus family that can infect humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Influenza, to which COVD-19 is often compared, is not a coronavirus.

While some victims of COVID-19 have very mild cases, and most infected people do recover, the disease can be extremely serious, producing weeks of fever, hallucinations, headaches, blood-clotting disorders, even damage to the lungs, kidneys and heart.

While medical researchers work frantically to find a highly effective vaccine and/or treatment, society is in limbo. It isn’t safe to be out among other people – SARS-CoV-2 is highly contagious, more so than the flu – but humans are social animals and many are growing depressed, edgy, and angry at being restrained from normal activities.

There is also enormous concern about what will happen to businesses that are forced to remain closed much longer and people who are left without jobs.

Given the chance

On April 29, the commissioners were meeting to discuss reopening the county. Many local residents have voiced impatience with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’s “safer at home” plan, which calls for gradually easing restrictions on business and recreational activities. Because Montezuma County has seen relatively few cases, it should be able to open up faster, the commissioners said, ultimately voting 3-0 to draft a letter asking the state health department for an exemption from the rules.

Commissioner Larry Don Suckla said they would like local restaurants and gyms – and all businesses – to be allowed to operate at 40 percent occupancy even while the rest of the state is keeping such establishments closed or restricting them to 10 or fewer customers.

The commissioners were seeking support from the local health-care community for the proposal, but health officials had some reservations.

Lock commented that restaurants are “one of the most contagious spots because people are socializing, sitting, talking, with masks off. Even if you socially distance you have a greater risk,” she said.

The commissioners said local businesses need to be given the chance to operate safely or they won’t survive. Health officials generally agreed that they should get that chance so long as they observe social distancing, have employees wear masks if they deal with the public, and don’t allow big crowds.

But an argument broke out between Suckla and Tony Sudduth, the CEO of Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez, after Suckla stated that he believes wearing facial coverings and doing increased testing for the virus are useless measures.

Sudduth had said enforcement of safety rules would be key to reopening county businesses. He said he’d seen a post on Facebook in which a local business said it would not comply with facial-covering guidelines or other requirements no matter what.

Lock said the health department does what it can to enforce regulations, first following up on complaints, then reaching out to the district attorney and law enforcement if necessary. Fines and even jail time can be imposed on repeat offenders, she said.

She and Dr. Kent Aikin, the county health physician, said they don’t want to see anyone fined. Aikin said he hopes officials will lead by example. “We want people outside of Montezuma County to say, ‘Look how successful they’ve been keeping this thing under control’,” he said.

But Suckla disagreed with some safety guidelines. “Somebody needs to protect the people that don’t think you should wear a mask and I’m going to be that guy,” he said.

“I think the masks are absolutely ridiculous,” he continued, saying he had heard of people getting “rush” (he may have meant thrush, a fungal infection) from wearing a mask for 12 hours straight.

He also said he didn’t understand the need for more testing. “I go get tested and am negative, five minutes later somebody touches me and I got COVD-19 and I don’t know it, because I had such confidence because I had the negative test,” he said.

“There’s some counties that are looking the other way [in regard to violations],” Suckla continued, “and I think the masks are ridiculous.”

‘Into the weeds’

But Sudduth took issue with that position. “There is no way I am supporting moving anything forward if we have this type of attitude in this county,” he said. At that point Suckla, who has yelled at other people during commission meetings, began shouting at Sudduth, accusing him of making $350,000 a year, which Sudduth said he does not, then repeatedly demanding that Sudduth say how much he makes.

He said Sudduth, because he is not an elected official, doesn’t have the authority to go into a business and “harass the hell out of them” and accused Sudduth of trying “to destroy this community.”

Commissioner Jim Candelaria interrupted to say the discussion had gotten “into the weeds” and that although he does not like wearing facial coverings, having people do so may be necessary to allow businesses to reopen.

Sudduth said he doesn’t oppose opening up the county, but wants procedures in place that make it safe and sensible. He said protecting hospital staff is important. More than 10,000 health-care workers nationwide have been infected by the virus, according to published reports.

“We had a serious incident this week involving a COVID patient that could have exposed a lot of our staff,” Sudduth said, adding, “Don’t tell me I don’t care about this community.”

The commissioners ultimately decided to submit their proposal to the state health department and, if the state OKs their plan, to re-evaluate how things are working three weeks after the rules are relaxed.

Administrator Shak Powers said local businesses will be motivated to comply with safety guidelines if they understand that they can’t move to a next phase without behaving.

Ertel expressed optimism that warm weather will mean the virus will decline, just as the annual flu seems to disappear in the summer. However, experts say there is little evidence so far that warmer weather is why new cases seem to be declining in many places. They believe it’s more likely because of social distancing and wearing masks.

Alone in the ER

Montezuma County does seem to sit in a small pocket of the state where the virus is not prevalent. But conditions in surrounding areas aren’t similar.

San Juan County, New Mexico, located just south of Montezuma County and even warmer, had 736 positive cases and 57 deaths, the most of any county in New Mexico, as of May 2. Though Dolores County, Colo., had no known cases as of that date, several other counties near Montezuma had more, with Montrose at 105 cases and 11 deaths, and La Plata at 63 cases with no fatalities.

The Navajo Nation, to Montezuma’s south and southwest, had 2,373 confirmed cases and 73 deaths as of May 2.

For a brief time, when the pandemic began, it seemed that people were mostly united against a common foe. Now, the virus seems to have spawned improbable conspiracy theories and deepened political rifts.

A number of citizens have said that coronavirus is no more serious than the flu, or even if it is, that the more vulnerable individuals – the elderly and anyone with hypertension, diabetes, or other medical problems – may just have to die so that the economy can get going again.

Nancy Schaufele, a Four Corners Free Press columnist who lived in Montezuma County until recently and now resides in Moab, voiced a different opinion in a Facebook post on May 3.

“This week I had a post-surgical hiccup and had to visit our local ER again,” she wrote. “The worst part was that my husband had to leave me at the emergency room door unable to come in, unable to sit with me waiting for hours for a scan, unable to talk to the doctors. He was sick with worry.”

Things turned out fine for her and she was able to return home that night, she said. But her experience was eye-opening.

“I had a chance to speak with the healthcare workers (doc’s, nurses, lab techs, etc.) and they all said the same thing,” Schaufele said. “Covid19 is scary as hell and they are terrified of what might happen to our community and our country.”

Moab’s hospital has 17 beds and one portable ventilator, she said.

“This weekend Moab opened back up to tourists and I heard the fear in our health professionals worrying about caring for a community which could explode with the virus.”

Schaufele said she recently had a long conversation with a neighbor who is an ER nurse in Park City, a few hours from Moab.

“She talked about the explosion of the virus there. She talked with deep sadness about the many patients she has intubated within the past month and how many have died. She choked up when she spoke of spouses turned away from the ER as they admitted their husbands, wives and partners. Some had been married for decades and have never been separated. It was terrifying for them.

“She told me about admitting a 21 year old in severe respiratory distress as his parents sat in the car sobbing. She later had to go out and tell them he had died. Died from the virus.”

The nurse, who had been an Army nurse at one point, said nothing had prepared her for COVID-19. She begs people who are skeptical about the reality of the disease to have a conversation with a front-line worker.

Schaufele wrote, “It is mind-boggling to realize more lives have been lost to this virus in just a few short months than the Vietnam War and 9/11. We always came together as a country during crisis. Now we seem horribly divided. I simply do not understand it.”

Pay the fines?

After the April 29 meeting, Suckla posted on Facebook: “We have got to get rid of CEO of Southwest Memorial hospital He He [sic] doesn’t care about us”. He later posted: “I suggest that Montezuma county pays all fines For the businesses that are [sic] Health Department Fines you for not wearing a mask”.

But Ertel and Candelaria later posted a video in which they explained their support for reopening county businesses “in a safe and positive manner” that will protect the most vulnerable populations. They noted that nursing homes in the county are, so far, COVID-free.

“I think our community has done an excellent job in protecting themselves,” Ertel said, continuing that it is time to focus on improving economic health. He added that if the county is given the exemption by the state, “I hope that everyone in our community. . . will then show their respect for that being granted to us and abide by as many of those safety and cleanliness issues as they can.”

‘The hardest thing’

Porter, who died from the virus, graduated with a major in biology, Rieb wrote to the Free Press. “He loved science. He would have been more careful had he known about this virus sooner.

“Losing him has been the hardest thing we’ve ever been through,” she said. “In normal times, the Porters and the Ptolemys would have gathered at Yellow Jacket to hug, cry, laugh and tell stories. Covid19 not only took my dad but it has taken any chance to grieve with our loved ones.

“My heart is broken for Sharon. He was her soulmate.

“Dad was kind, loving, clever, smart, ornery, and really funny. We are going to miss him beyond words and our world has been forever changed.”

The Montezuma County commissioners have put forth a draft plan for gradually reopening county businesses and have scheduled an in-person meeting on Thursday at 1 p.m. at the courthouse to discuss feedback on their plan. They said anyone who attends will be expected to observe social distancing.

At an electronic meeting on Tuesday, the board agreed to put out the draft plan, which is available for comment on the county website, www.montezumacounty.org. It was their second electronic meeting in two days, as they also met Monday to discuss the idea of reopening.

On Tuesday, Commissioner Jim Candelaria read a statement reflecting his personal views on the need to get away from the shutdown that has gripped the county and the entire country in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Social distancing may become the new norm; however, we cannot live in fear,” Candelaria said.

He said the county’s residents are “very fortunate to live in a sparsely populated area. . .  it will take several months for any return to true normalcy; however, we have to start somewhere.”

Montezuma County has for several days remained at 13 known cases and two fatalities from the virus.

Candelaria said there is a need to reopen in order to protect people’s livelihoods. “We have seen that many of our fellow Americans have had their livelihoods stripped due to executive orders from the governor, and the fact that the WWE has been deemed essential in Florida raises questions for all of us,” he said.

“At what point is total economic ruin the better option as opposed to moving forward?” he added.

Candelaria said that Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez has an additional 60 beds if needed, there are several “Tier 3 and 4 structures” in the community, and Fort Lewis College in Durango has additional beds in case the reopening results in a new spike in coronavirus cases.

“The Southwest  region is prepared for a large-scale outbreak,” he said.

At the meeting on Monday, Dr. Kent Aikin, Southwest Memorial Hospital medicine specialist, made reference to principles for reopening listed by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. One key element is the availability of rapid testing. The county does not have rapid-testing equipment yet, though it has been on order for several weeks, Aikin said.

Contact tracing for people identified as having the virus is also critical, he said.

The head of the county health department, Bobbi Lock, agreed, saying that widespread testing and rapid testing are essential. Increased testing will mean more positive results, which will mean more contact tracing has to be done, she said, and the health department will then need more personnel to do that.

“We will definitely have more positives,” she said, adding that health-care workers know there are positive cases out there but so far have not been able to identify them and trace their contacts.

Aikin said the hospital could probably handle 40 to 45 coronavirus patients of various severity if there were a surge in cases, “assuming a large portion of our staff doesn’t become ill.”

Lock said she understands the need for a balance between people’s health and the economy. She said once businesses begin reopening she doesn’t believe the health department would have the ability to enforce social-distancing and mask-wearing requirements in those establishments.

County attorney John Baxter agreed, saying that would probably require the help of law enforcement.

Cortez Mayor Karen asked how many tests would reasonably be needed for the county’s businesses to open up. Aikin said if the hospital is able to get the required machine and perhaps a thousand tests, “it would go a long way toward helping.” Then, all the residents of long-term-care facilities who are willing could be tested, as well as health-care workers and close contacts of positive cases.

Sheek said the county sounded like it was rushing things.

“Kent and Bobbi have made it clear we are not yet in a position to open up,” she said, adding, “I think we need to pull back just a little bit.”

Manuel Heart, chair of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, agreed.

“You guys are premature opening up the businesses,” he said. “I really think this is the calm before the storm.”

He said saving lives needs to be a priority.

The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is the largest employer in Montezuma County, he noted. So far it has no known cases. However, he said, cases in Arizona and in the Navajo Nation are increasing at a rapid rate.

“All that traffic is going to be coming this way to this city up here in Cortez and it’s going to impact the people there,” he said.

He added that the tribe has been able to get only 24 rapid testing kits. “You’re not going to get a thousand kits,” he said.

But Commissioner Larry Don Suckla said the county is only preparing a plan to reopen “when the governor allows us.”

The state of Colorado has said restrictions will begin to be eased starting April 26.

The debate over when states should allow businesses to reopen has devolved from a rational discussion of how to act wisely and safely, into a political slugfest. Protesters have demonstrated at a number of state capitols, including Denver, some of them saying that death is preferable to economic ruin and that people should just take their chances on getting the virus. Their opponents accuse them of being hypocrites and not valuing human life.

How any reopening will play out in areas such as Montezuma County is unknown. Many of the people who have money to spend in the county are retired and in the category considered high-risk, meaning they are 60 or older and/or have at least one health condition, such as hypertension or diabetes. Whether they will flock back into businesses any time soon even if they open their doors is uncertain.

Montezuma County’s offices are set to reopen on Monday, with precautions in place such as social distancing. Some offices, such as Planning and Zoning, will require people to call ahead and make appointments before they see anyone.

Meanwhile, the number of cases of coronavirus in Colorado rose to 10,447 on Tuesday, an increase of 341 cases, not as large an increase as the day before. The state reported 486 deaths, up by 37, which is a large hike, and 2,003 hospitalizations.

The Navajo Nation reported 1,206 cases with 48 deaths. The number of cases is actually less than it was reporting the day before, indicating some sort of error, and the deaths were up by 3.

New Mexico had seven new deaths, five of which happened to people in long-term care, for a total of 65 fatalities, according to KOB  4 news. The state has a total of 2,072 cases. A quarter of people who have been infected have recovered.

Arizona reported 5,251 cases, up by 187, a bigger increase than the day before, and 21 new deaths for a total of 208.

Utah had 3,296 cases, an increase of just 83, but it now has 32 deaths, an increase of 5 over the previous day.