Time running out for thousands of animals after devastating floods in India and Nepal

Thousands and thousands of animals including cows, buffaloes, goats, pigs, chickens, dogs and cats are fighting for their lives in the north-eastern state of Assam in India as well as Nepal after devastating floods ravaged the region.

International animal welfare charity World Animal Protection is on the ground organising and leading mobile veterinary response teams and distributing emergency vet kits to both livestock and pets. The charity is providing lifesaving care for thousands of animals whose owners desperately need healthy animals to keep their families out of extreme poverty.

Many of the animals the charity is treating are deeply traumatised and are in shock. A large number have broken limbs and are in extreme pain. So far, local efforts have focused on the humanitarian crisis. World Animal Protection is now in the disaster zone focusing on providing food and medical treatment for the animals in addition to preventing disease.

Hansen Thambi Prem, Disaster Project Manager, at World Animal Protection says: 

“Animals are in dire need; injured, starving and at high risk of disease - the floods have damaged pastures for months to come compounding the emergency with starvation.

“By helping animals, we not only alleviate their suffering, but also help the people who rely so heavily on them for their livelihoods, transport and food.

“Governments and NGOs must recognise that when a disaster hits, people and animals' very survival, and eventual recovery, is intertwined. That is why we are on the ground to protect animals.”

World Animal Protection teams in India and Nepal will:

·         provide immediate assistance to animals on the ground injured from the floods and meeting basic needs for survival.

·         provide emergency vet kit items which will include dressings and treatment for wounded animals, treatment of diarrhoea, pneumonia and other potential post flood diseases.

·         assess the wider and longer term needs for the animals in partnership with the government.

While disaster response rightly prioritizes people’s immediate needs, the long-term recovery from disasters is inextricably linked with the well-being of their animals. Communities and people affected by the floods in both Assam in India and Nepal heavily rely on agriculture to make ends meet and in this critical stage, the recovery from the floods by saving animals will provide stability for their future.

ENDS

Notes to editors

·         Emergency Vet Kit items for this work are focused on wound dressings and treatment for wounded animals, treatment of diarrhoea, pneumonia and other potential post flood disease. Within the kits will be the following, though not limited to this list: Cephalexin; Deworming: Albendazole; Deworming: Ivermectin; Enrofloxacin; Multivitamin: injection; Oxytetracycline; Sulpha trimethoprim; Wound spray. Both pet and livestock feed will be included in the emergency vet kits but quantity and ratio is TBD.

·         About 1 billion of the world’s poorest people rely on horses, livestock and other animals for food, transport and their livelihoods. Domestic animals play their part too, providing valued companionship.

·         World Animal Protection has been working actively with governments, communities and individuals in disaster management since 1964. Out of 250 pieces of disaster response work across 50 years, we have provided aid to over 7 million animals.

Image Copyright  World Animal Protection/Subhash Sharma

Hansen Thambi Prem, Disaster Project Manager, at World Animal Protection says: “Animals are in dire need; injured, starving and at high risk of disease - the floods have damaged pastures for months to come compounding the emergency with starvation.