ELIJAH WOOD EXPERIENCES CHILE EARTHQUAKE AS HE FIGHTS FOR STRAY PETS

Lord Of The Rings star Elijah Wood was almost caught up in an earthquake disaster on Friday morning (23Apr10) as he was helping to save pets left abandoned by Chile's February (10) quake.

The actor arrived in Santiago earlier this week (beg19Apr10) after officials at animal welfare organization the Yarur Bascunan Foundation invited the pet lover to join them in their crusade to rescue strays.

And Wood got a taste of how the capital trembles when an earthquake hits when a 6.1-magnitude tremor shook the city as he was preparing to fly back to America.

During his four-day visit, Wood appeared on TV shows, urging Chileans to help strays abandoned after the earthquake disaster which ravaged the city earlier this year (10).

And, despite the ongoing threat of earthquakes in Santiago, the actor insists he will be back to do more: "I’m interested in getting involved, because I love animals. I have three dogs, and grew up with dogs and cats.

"I like the initiative. As a human being, I am interested in the welfare of animals and people. There are many dogs in the streets that are without protection. This is the first foundation I have participated in."

As part of his trip, Wood also visited Curepto with Chile's First Lady, Cecilia Morel, to view earthquake damage.