Tsunami Reports
Tsunami animal relief report February 10th, 2005
To all of you individuals who have helped in any with funds or interest to the below tsunami relief teams we are extremely grateful. Many of you learned about our efforts and of other worthy groups through the countless posting to compassionate animal group web sites worldwide and to this we are very thankful.
The following organizations, who all of whom help animals worldwide, quickly wired funds to make all of this possible. For their faith in our work and for their sponsorship we are indebted to Animal People News (USA), Best Friends (USA), The Ahimsa Foundation (USA), The Winsome Constance Kindness Trust (Australia) and The Fondation Franz Weber (Switzerland) and donations of equipment and expertise vet visits from AVAR - Assoc. of Vets for Animal Rights (USA) making this a true multi-continental relief effort!
Report from Tsunami Animal Relief Camp at Andhra Pradesh coastline (Nellore and Praskasam districts) total distance covered is 200 kms. from Nellore to Ongole from the 1st Feb. to the 10th with our preliminary team in Nellore previously.
Cattle heroines and heroes
Sweet cow getting needed medical attention -- deworming and foot and mouth vaccination and special feed. As a reminder it was not long ago that so many millions of cows were killed in Europe for this disease but in India it is treated and the animal is often saved.
Previously we wrote about the hero beach dogs of India warning many people to flee before the tsunami struck. The VSPCA tsunami animal relief team is now reporting that the surprise heroes and heroines are the cattle! Being acute observers of animal behavior the villagers interviewed have told that most of the tied cattle were moving restlessly back and forth indicating impending danger and wanting to escape. Some bulls and buffalos even broke away from the tied poles. Therefore in Iskapalli Panchayat (village) by their sensitivity to the animals warnings there were no deaths at all despite this village being in imminent danger from the canal and sea waters.
The animals share the miseries of the effected people and their admirable contribution towards saving lives shows their integration into the overall society. Our hard working team took this opportunity to bring humane awareness on the frontline beaches to care for the animals giving treatment and feed. Providing confidence that apart from their livestock of chickens, goats, and cattle – the dogs and cats are also useful to them as their presence in their midst was crucial.
Awareness Camps
The success of this awareness camp made us decide that long term measures/projects need to be implemented for the entire coast of Andhra Pradesh. We will coordinate with local animal welfare organizations for beter efficiency. We need continuing donations for the immediate acquiring of mobile techniques and top quality veterinary procedures. An exclusive mobile vehicle would be a very major boost to render such camps and to attend to natural disaster quickly.
Ramayapatnam village with mamalnourished cows and progenies. Needed immediate good food and medical treatment. Scenes like these are deplorable and the animals are further vulnerable being tied up by their owners. They were provided special and extra feed for many days and vaccinations.
With modes of transport varying from four, three and two wheels and even on foot as the roads are inaccessible on many areas, we have visited where there are hardly ten families indicating how remote and secluded they are. Heartening to observe the dog companions are maintained.
Our efforts included rescuing animals to safer places like the dogs and cattle especially. Special cattle feed, tonics, vitamins and other continuing medicines were distributed with the villagers. Where the animals like dogs have been strays help has been rendered by means of abundant food and water with identification of sympathetic families that will continue to feed them. With our good relationship maintained in place as we provided help to their livestocks the inspiration to come back and continue to help them has made the stray animals a part of their lives. Counselling was made to those villages more affected in terms of immediate rescue measures.
Most of the villages (listed below) are in danger of the Buckingham canal that runs through. Some have been inundated badly trapping the village as they were surrounded with the sea and the rising canal water. It was a very lucky escape for many that water receded immediately after it came in but not before destroying the valuable bridges, fishermen huts, their nets and covering their fields with the salt water leaving the surviving grazing animals with not much to feed in. There were some villages which escaped as the high sand dunes protected them and also a village that had sufficient trees to save them. The uprooted shrubs and trees have borne the attack of the waves saving precious lives.
Additional information:
Camp Relief Team attendance J. Rajasekhar - Joint Secretary and Deputy Shelter Manager, VSPCA
Ramulu - Animal Helper from Goshala section, VSPCA
Dr.Madavilatha - Veterianarian from Animal Husbandry Dept, Nellore
Dr.P.DevRaj - Veterinarian from Animal Husbandry, Kodavalur
SK K Shyab – Paramedic
Villages covered (mostly on the front coastline within 500 metres of the ocean): Gangapatnam, Pallepalem, Maipadu, Thurpupattapalem, Padamal Pattapalem, Kollumtapalem, Krishnapatnam, Koduru, Muthulathopu Patapallem, Beason (Krishnapatnam LightHouse), Nelaturupalem, Pedapatapalem, Venkatanarayanpurm, Laximpuram, Venkatareddipalem, Gouripuri, Alganipadu, Iskapalli, Thatichetakapalem, Pothibangarpalepalam, Angaripalems, PedaRamudupallem, Kareduvaripalem, Shrirampuram, ChinnaRamudupallem, Ottaru, Pedanattu, Chinnanath, Thumalapenta Pattapalem, Chennayapallem, Ravunpalapallem, Ramayapatnam, Ulavapadu, Palapallem, Chakichardapalem, Chinnachakicharlu, Reddypallem, Alagyapalem, BottiSangyapalem, Karedu, Singarayakonda, Pallalapalipalem, Ulapalem, Madnupeddapalem, Ethamukala, Rajupalem, Kothapatnam, Pattepalem, Chinthayaparipalem, Mekalasomayapallem, Ankammachelapalem, and Chinnammagaripathpalem.
Kind regards from Pradeep Nath,
President and Founder , VSPCA