WSPA - Animals in Disasters Blog

A photo update from Brazil

As we posted earlier this week, our disaster relief team has been in the Minas Gerais state, Brazil, to help animals affected by the flooding and landslides there. Following their assessment, the team reported that close to 3000 cats and dogs are in need of our help. Over the coming weeks, we will be delivering emergency feed and basic veterinary care to these animals. In addition, if persistent rains start compromising pastures, we will provide food supplements to an estimated 500 cattle that are likely to be affected.

Meanwhile, here are a few of the photographs sent through by the team, visibly highlighting the need for our work there.

WSPA vet Sergio Vasquez surveys damage in the Brazilian State of Minas Gerais, where months of rainfall have caused flooding and landslides, destroying many homes and rendering most roads unusable.

 

While the DART (Damage Assessment and Response Team) were conducting their assessment of the area they were followed by this puppy. She is usually looked after by locals, who apparently left her behind when they evacuated.  

 

The team came across many abandoned dogs who were visibly distressed. For instance, the locals told our vets how this dog had lost her puppies in the flooding and was refusing to leave her home.

 
The bridge in Guidoval municipality was destroyed by flooding dividing the town in half. The Brazilian Army built a temporary pontoon bridge allowing access.  WSPA’s Sergio Vasquez crosses over with food for animals.  

 

During the assessment in Guidoval city, WSPA’s Juan Carlos Murillo found this starving, injured puppy. Since no one in the neighbourhood claimed ownership of the puppy, Juan Carlos named him Guido and took him to a veterinary clinic for thorough treatment.

Sergio Vasquez holds Guido while the local vet, Dr. Alonso, examines him. Guido is recovering well and will be looked after until a suitable home can be found for him. 

 

Over the next few weeks WSPA will continue to work with volunteers from local animal protection groups Nucleo Fauna and Bichos Gerais who will be carrying out the work in the field.

We expect more information from our team over the weekend, and will certainly keep you posted! 

An update from Brazil

As we mentioned in a previous post, Dr. Juan Carlos Murillo and Dr. Sergio Vasquez, two of our most experienced disaster management vets, have been in Brazil since Sunday the 8th of January, to conduct a thorough assessment of the impact on animals in the flood-affected regions.

One of the first results of the WSPA visit has been to secure 450 placements of a public service announcement (PSA) on over 335 radio stations – this means that thousands of residents all across Brazil were reminded to include animals in their disaster plans and given practical tips on ensuring the safety of their animals. 

Our team started by visiting Belo Horizonte, where they met with Franklin Olivera, a representative of a local partner organisation "Amigos dos Bichos" to plan how best to work together to help the animals belonging to the local flood-affected communities.

They also visited the Mario Campos district to assess the impact of the floods there and the current animal situation. On their way there, they passed the previously flooded cities of Juatuba and Mario Campos, where they found that the situation had returned to normal, and people were going about their business as per usual. The Paraopeba river is returning to normal levels but in Mario Campos, effects of the recent flooding were still visible: water marks were visible on household walls as far inland from the river as 100 metres! 

The animals most impacted by the flooding in this region are pets that were abandoned when their owners had to evacuate their households. Most farm animals had been moved to higher ground – as they usually are, during the rainy season, and were therefore safe from the floods.

WSPA has initiated the distribution of pet food and fodder for animals in the communities most affected, including for some families continuing to live in a shelter set up at the Municipal School Antonio Gonzalez, because their homes had been swept away in the floods.

Over the weekend, our staff are expected to return from this initial assessment trip; based on the findings they report, we will make decisions about how to continue to help these animals, and of course, continue to keep you posted!

Click here if you'd like to hear the PSA that played on radio stations across Brazil.

We still remember...

12 January 2010 – 12 January 2012

HAITI

We still remember that cold feeling of pain and death reaching every house, every home and every family.

We still remember these two dogs in Petion Ville waiting weeks and weeks for their owner to come back until the building was fully destroyed.

We still remember how difficult it was to explain to a charming little boy named Sylvaince why his beloved little cat was missing.

We still remember lines and lines of animals being treated and vaccinated by a group of hard workers wearing T-Shirts labelled ‘’ARCH’’

We still remember……..

By Dr. Jean Francois Thomas

Dr. Jean Francois Thomas, local Haitian veterinarian, led the ARCH effort in Haiti in the year following the earthquake. When the ARCH coalition was disbanded at the end of the project, Francois continued his work helping animals affected by disasters, and is currently WSPA’s Disaster Liaison Officer for Haiti.

Watch our film LIT (Creole for 'Fight'), about WSPA's work in Haiti

 

A busy start to 2012

2011 was a busy year for our global Disaster Relief team (as for many of our readers, surely!) but it’s gratifying to look back at the impact we made: last year alone, WSPA Disaster Relief Teams across the globe helped more than 240,000 animals in 11 countries. We helped a variety of animals: cattle, buffalo, pigs, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, poultry, as well as people’s pets, like rabbits, cats and dogs. The countries we worked in included Brazil, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Bolivia, Japan, Thailand, Argentina, India, Vietnam and Kenya, and regular readers of this blog will have followed the many kinds of disasters we have responded to last year.

This year has got off to a busy start as well (although thankfully, not with a disaster as large-scale as the earthquake that struck Haiti on 12 January 2010) with our disaster team from Costa Rica responding to the flooding in Brazil, just as we did last year when floods and landslides hit three states in Brazil.

Since the beginning of January 2012, very heavy rains caused flooding and landslides in the Minas Gerais Brazilian State and an alert is active over the Rio do Janeiro State, specially in the area of Sierra do Organs, which was affected last year too. 

In the state of Minas Gerais, the toll of human deaths attributed to the rains has now reached eight. Overflowing rivers and landslides have blocked various state and federal highways, making it difficult to send through supplies or assistance to the disaster hit areas.108 municipalities were affected by storms and floods during the last 15 days, of which 52 municipalities have declared themselves to be in an ‘Emergency state’, affecting 2.1 million people. 

Dr. Juan Carlos Murillo and Dr. Sergio Vasquez, two of our most experienced disaster management vets, have been in Brazil since Sunday the 8th of January, to conduct a thorough assessment of the impact on animals in the flood-affected regions. Knowing that they are likely to encounter abandoned pets during their assessment, they are carrying large consignments of mixed dry food and first aid veterinary kits so that they can help any animals in need immediately.

As we receive reports back from our colleagues in the field, we will continue to post updates here and via our Twitter feed. Stay tuned, and Happy New Year!

WSPA assesses situation in flooded areas at Northern Costa Rica

A low pressure system caused heavy rains in Costa Rica during the last week, with the northern part of the country most affected. A team from WSPA arrived in the zone within two days and visited the affected areas where mostly poor communities live, on small farms with free range cattle and poultry.

The first thing the WSPA team did upon arrival on December 15th was to meet the National Animal Health Service (SENASA) and Civil Defence representatives, in order to offer our help and be informed about the local situation. SENASA and Civil Defence had identified communities along both shores of the Sarapiquí river, one of the main rivers in the zone that has overflowed, as being the worst affected by the floods.

Once briefed, the WSPA team, along with officials from SENASA, left by boat to visit the communities and farmers in this area.   During the trip, the team verified that although most of the animals have survived the floods, the next 15-30 days are going to be extremely difficult for them, due to the damage in pastures and other food sources like plantain and sugar cane. "The higher impact of a flood comes after the rains and the overflowing rivers: the destruction of food sources for the animals and an increased possibility of their getting sick due to malnutrition and contaminated water-related bacteria," said Dr. Vásquez, Disaster Management Veterinarian Officer, WSPA.

While out in the boat, the team saved a cow that was swimming in the middle of the river, by driving the boat towards it and causing it to move towards the shore, where it was able to climb out of the water and on to safe land on its own. The cyclonic force of the swollen waters (the river was about five meters beyond its normal depth at the time) causes animals to be pushed down repeatedly, and dragged to the center of the river where they usually get tired and drown. “By forcing the cow to swim to an eddy near an area recognised by the team as being safe, we were able to save it without even touching it! That's the best way to rescue them," explained Vásquez.

On the second and final day of the assessment, the team was able to visit several communities in other areas that could be reached by land. WSPA's aid was focused on providing emergency supplies of mineral salts, deworming and antibiotics; the SENASA staff will help distribute these supplies to the animals and farmers in most need. We expect at least 2,000 cattle, chickens, pigs, and dogs will receive the emergency medications they need, thanks to this exercise.

Field update from our second phase of Thai flood operations

The ongoing flood relief operations in Thailand have maintained constant momentum as the Disaster Management team has continued field operations this past week. In total, to date, WSPA has distributed nearly 56 tonnes of food and provided electric fans, medicines and veterinary supplies to temporary animal shelters.

We have received this update on the second phase of our Thai flood relief operations from Steven Clegg, WSPA Asia-Pacific’s Disaster Response Team Leader.

“On Nov 29, WSPA deployed two teams into the field to distribute food and medicine to several of the animal sheltering areas with the greatest need.

The first team was sent to the Thamma Sukjai Temple in Pathumthani Province, providing 1 tonne of dog food and 0.3 tonnes of cat food along with medical and disinfectant supplies. We were surrounded by chest-level floodwaters around the temple. The Venerable Abbot - "Phra Pisarn Thamma Nuwatra" has taken care of more than 200 dogs for months. All dogs have been staying at the church area.
 
The second team visited the Government office in Cheang Wattana District which is caring for more than 250 flood affected animals.  The WSPA team provided 1 tonne of dog food and 0.2 tonnes of cat food as well as disinfectant supplies. This team paid an additional visit to the Thewa Soonthorn Temple in Bangkok to provide 0.5 tonnes of dog food and 0.2 tonnes of cat food with 20 liters of Disinfectant Liquid for assisting the 50-plus animals needing care.

On Nov 30, WSPA provided the TV Station Channel 9 with food and critical vaccines for pets. WSPA then joined Channel 9 and a group of volunteers on Dec 2nd to visit Uthaithanee Province where they distributed the food and setup a mobile clinic for the day to treat injured and sick animals in the area.”

WSPA's work in Thailand

At the start of the flooding in Thailand, WSPA assessed the needs and gaps to see who is helping animals and where, and got in touch with other animal welfare organisations (including Soi Dogs Foundation and WFFT, who received half a tonne of pet food and a number of cages to help their rescue efforts). We use this information to determine that our efforts will not be duplicating the work of others.

We always follow this process as it has been proven to ensure that our supporters’ contributions will help the greatest number of animals and the communities that depend on them.

Like others in the field, in the urgent phase, our teams rescued, fed and ferried around 6000 animals. At the same time, we continued to work with government agencies and organizations, supporting their efforts to ensure relief work is coordinated in the most effective way possible. The Thai Government Department of Livestock and Development (DLD) are the government agency responsible for responding to animal needs in these floods, so they are best placed to make change at the largest scale possible. Working with the DLD is important because it means we can ensure relief reaches the most number of animals.

In the next phase of our work in Thailand, we have just committed to improving conditions at several shelters and will continue to feed animals: we expect this second phase to help an additional 4000 pets, as well as the cattle in Phichit province.

Por Thrisadee Sahawong, a renowned actor in Thailand, who has been involved with several WSPA campaigns in the past, heard about the work that we have been doing in the aftermath of the floods. As an animal lover, he wanted to help out in any way possible. Por recently joined the WSPA team on our operation to distribute five tonnes of pet food to some very needy dogs and cats, severely affected by the current flooding.

Thailand’s Channel 3 News followed the actor as he travelled with WSPA three hours from Bangkok to the town of Wat Suankaew. There, he helped to deliver a second batch of live-saving food to 500 dogs and 300 cats in the community, as well as seeing vets treat sick animals. Take a look at their news report, subtitled by WSPA Thailand.

Prevention is the key to Central American and Mexican flood response

As the flooding across the region subsides and the scale of the impact becomes apparent, our teams begin work in the recovery period, which consists of long-term preparedness and capacity building efforts to reduce the risk to animals from future disasters.

Our Disaster Assessment Response Teams (DARTs) found a considerable level of rural devastation in Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica, as well as along  Mexico’s Pacific coast. Indeed, in the affected and assessed areas of Central America, an average of 20 to 60 percent of farm animals were affected, and while many animals were evacuated to higher areas, limited carrying capacity coupled with eventual pasture loss is expected to cause forage deficits in the near future. Therefore, WSPA has decided to focus on long-term national preparedness work which is crucial in these parts of the world where natural disasters and flooding are a regular occurrence.

Starting this month, WSPA will promote the creation of farm animal censuses in each Central American country and Mexico, emphasising their importance in being able to successfully plan for a disaster. We will also provide training to the region’s agriculture institutions in disaster risk reduction and in livestock emergency guidelines and standards (LEGS). 

WSPA will also use its expertise to develop communications for use by agriculture institutions, local governments, and development agencies in disasters, like the public Service Announcements (PSAs) recently used in El Salvador and Mexico. 

Update from Thailand floods

A few more photos have come through from our team in Thailand, and you can see some of the animals our team is helping to feed. The few animals you see here are by no means the full extent of our work – it is just a reminder of why we do what we do!

As with every disaster, WSPA has followed certain basic principles: we started the operation in Thailand by conducting a thorough needs assessment to decide what the most critical needs are, which ones are being met by other groups and where our help would be most useful to fill the gaps.
 
Our needs assessment showed that one of  the most critical needs is for food with which to keep rescued animals alive in the temporary shelters they are being brought to.

WSPA staff and volunteers help move these dogs from the Saunkaew temple (where they were initially sheltered) to an alternate shelter on higher ground, when the temple itself was flooded. Over 100 dogs were moved from the temple to the new shelter.

The dogs are patient, perhaps sensing the dangers they are exposed to, as our team transfers them from one temporary shelter to another.

Even as the waters rose, some dogs were unwilling to leave their territories, the homes they were so accustomed to. The caretaker of the temple, who was a familiar figure for the dogs, has helped coax the dogs into settling in the new shelter, accepting food from her regularly.

The volunteers used ingenious solutions – plastic tubs, cages, boats – to transport the animals to higher ground to keep them safe from the flood waters.

A large cage suffices to house a whole brood of puppies, as they are prepared for transportation to the safer shelter.

As the water levels have risen, there are more people than there are boats to carry them now, so our team have been heading out on large trucks.  Boats are only one way of accessing the flooded areas, and not always the best (or safest) choice.  Our Response Team is prepared to head out in the most effective way possible, and will be out on trucks and boats to continue delivering services and supporting our response partners in the coming days.

 

 

 

 

Teams assess hurricane impact on Central America

The three WSPA teams assessing the impact of Hurricane Jova have reported back a significant level of devastation in the three countries.

In Guatemala, WSPA staff and members of local partner ESAP made up the Disaster Assessment Response Team (DART), assessing 18 communities in the badly-hit districts of Jutiapa and Santa Rosa. Communities here are dependent on agriculture and livestock, which have been decimated by flooding from the hurricane.

Between 40-60% of grazing pastures have been severely impacted, though it is hoped that a series of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) have helped to prevent disease from spreading in the aftermath of the disaster. Announcements were broadcast on local radio warning people about how to limit the spread of infections in their livestock. 

In Costa Rica’s most affected area, Guanacaste province, members of our local Veterinary Emergency Response Unit (VERU), together with local animal husbandry officials, visited a total of 20 affected communities. In some areas, up to 60% of livestock were affected by the disaster, whilst up to half of all pastures have been impacted. 

We will keep ypu updated you further on the work we will be doing to help the animals in Central America in the upcoming weeks.