Phew! That was scary - we were in a building in Talca yesterday when two very strong aftershocks hit. Everyone is ok, but we’ve come back to Santiago to be safe.
We have been travelling around the coastal regions of Maule and BioBio, delivering food, water and first aid equipment, mostly to stray dogs and cats but also to horses, cows and sheep.
We have met a director from Chile’s National Emergency Agency to find out about the shelters that people are staying in. In the three regions of O'Higgens, Maule and BioBio, there are 90 shelters for 19,000 people. Some have brought their animals with them; some have abandoned them. All of them need help.
We also met people from the National Cattle and Agricultural Service (SAG) and the Ministry of Health to try and get official information on the current situation faced by pet, farm and stray animals across the disaster zone. But the information available is limited. As you might expect, these bodies are busy dealing with humanitarian issues and animals are not their immediate priority.
However, while 3 out of 4 households in Chile own a pet, there’s also a huge stray population and, unfortunately, a very low level of responsible pet ownership. According to the information we collected, a significant percentage of the total dog population in the disaster zone could be roaming the streets after the earthquake and subsequent tsunami - a sure sign that many animals could be in desperate need of help.
Fernando Baeriswyl, Chief of the Division of Natural Resources of the National Cattle and Agriculture Service (SAG), reported that the situation concerning animals-including six lions-from the collapsed circus in the town of Iloca is now under control, and the circus animals are being housed temporarily in zoo parks thanks to joint efforts by SAG and WSPA’s member society, Ecoprotege.
Fernando also confirmed that small farmers (and of course their animals) in the most affected regions of Maule and BioBio, especially those located further inland, are at a disadvantage as aid is being sent mainly to the coastal areas directly affected by the tsunami. These people depend heavily on their animals for their livelihood.
We have been travelling around the coastal regions of Maule and BioBio, delivering food, water and first aid equipment, mostly to stray dogs and cats but also to horses, cows and sheep.
We have met a director from Chile’s National Emergency Agency to find out about the shelters that people are staying in. In the three regions of O'Higgens, Maule and BioBio, there are 90 shelters for 19,000 people. Some have brought their animals with them; some have abandoned them. All of them need help.
We also met people from the National Cattle and Agricultural Service (SAG) and the Ministry of Health to try and get official information on the current situation faced by pet, farm and stray animals across the disaster zone. But the information available is limited. As you might expect, these bodies are busy dealing with humanitarian issues and animals are not their immediate priority.
However, while 3 out of 4 households in Chile own a pet, there’s also a huge stray population and, unfortunately, a very low level of responsible pet ownership. According to the information we collected, a significant percentage of the total dog population in the disaster zone could be roaming the streets after the earthquake and subsequent tsunami - a sure sign that many animals could be in desperate need of help.
Fernando Baeriswyl, Chief of the Division of Natural Resources of the National Cattle and Agriculture Service (SAG), reported that the situation concerning animals-including six lions-from the collapsed circus in the town of Iloca is now under control, and the circus animals are being housed temporarily in zoo parks thanks to joint efforts by SAG and WSPA’s member society, Ecoprotege.
Fernando also confirmed that small farmers (and of course their animals) in the most affected regions of Maule and BioBio, especially those located further inland, are at a disadvantage as aid is being sent mainly to the coastal areas directly affected by the tsunami. These people depend heavily on their animals for their livelihood.
