News Updates

August 24th 2006 - The animals still need your help!

Our deepest gratitude from the animals and villagers for all of the flood relief help we have received from WSPA and a few individual donors.

Unfortunately, our work is great and ongoing, and our resources have now run out. If you can help us, please do at your earliest convenience.

Heavy rain and six cyclones in a row have created new problems in 16 districts within the State of Andhra Pradesh. The animals in these areas are in desperate need of help.

In the districts we have been able to reach Allena is the most affected village, but just yesterday three other villages were marooned - submerged under water - by the sudden upsurge of the Vamsadhara river.

Allena has been cut off from the main road for the past ten days, with broken roads, bridges and in some areas a mile of chest-high water. The villagers have to walk up to nine kms to receive help.

We review and plan our strategy every night and after two days of serious attempts to reach them the vet hired a two wheeler and reached by walking the remaining road to the place for deworming and vaccination. For the feed the people came to the main road and carried it back. After abandoning the truck our team braved the waters to enter the village.

The second team is attending the remaining three marooned villages. The progress is slow and long but this is the way it was possible. We have distributed 10 tonnes of the special feed -- this is a mix we make of 18 different ingredients containing 16% protein of corn, grains, molasses etc. We consider this the most important feed for our region besides the green grass and the dry hay.

The District Collector, The Joint Director and other top officials from The Central Government team were also present during these camps gratefully receiving our help.

Recent outreach teams have covered the villages of Lakkupuram, Panuguparthi, Allena, Pedda lankam, Mammidavalasa, Guttavilli, Narayanapuram, Chinnalankam and Labham in the Srikakulam (district just North of Visakha)

Animals recently helped: Cattle = 1909; Buffalo = 191; Calves = 245; Sheep = 199

Some animals were washed away.

Surviving animals received these treatments:

• - Deworming
• - Vaccination for Hemorrhagic septicemia, Black Quarter, Enterotoxaemia and Foot and Mouth diseases.

Also we have Blue Tongue (a fatal disease for the cattle that was previously thought eradicated) and the Chikungunya fever for humans (a viral fever caused by mosquito bites where people suffer debilitation for many months after recovery). Both these diseases were rare and mostly unknown until recently! Neither development nor science has kept these diseases away.

These places are greatly vulnerable and planning for the future is needed now. We need help from everybody.

Pradeep Nath, Founder and President
vspcadeep@yahoo.co.in

VSPCA
26-15-200 Main Road
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh 530001, India
Tel: 91-891-3296217 and 3295522

Compiled by Eileen Weintraub, VSPCA Representative.
All photos by VSPCA.