VSPCA outreach flood relief team to surrounding villages, October 21st, 2005
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- VSPCA outreach flood relief team to surrounding villages, October 21st, 2005
Dog and cat rescue and animal birth control teams photos coming soon!
Monday, 17 Oct.
I will give a count of the animals vaccinated, rescued to be brought in if any and any deaths every day. Nothing is ruled out as most reservoirs are overflowing and thus inundating lower areas and flash floods continue to be a threat. For instance the airport will continue to flood as water from the Meghadrigedda reservoir is overflowing and entering in here.
Just sent off two big trucks to V.Madugula, Chodavaram around 35 kms from here as things are very bad there right now with nine people. They left from here but becuase of the emergencies we forgot about taking the photo as they left. The people are : Rajsekhar (team leader), Rama Rao ( paravet), Ramulu, Appa rao, Srinu, Rayudu,( all helpers) and three more with drivers and cleaners.
From tomorrow we will be joining the Animal Husbandry dept to all the villages for deworming, vaccinations, treatment if necssary. We are trying not to bring in any large animals except just brought in some small animals like puppies and parrots – and torotises (endangered star tortoise) from the flood areas. We expect more tortoises to come out from these areas. But if necessary the large animals will be also be brought in.
Sunday, 16 Oct.
We have begun the outreach programme with our own people, hired or volunteering. We have begun this earnestly even before funds have arrived as the situation warranted but not that intensively as we needed to make adjustments to protect our animals of 700 and make way for the incoming rescued ones also. And all this progress was terribly compounded with two continuous multiple cyclones hitting us the third one directly to us before crossing yesterday evening. My predicament has arisen but we have put forth our plan with two more trucks for the outreach programme and with the recent cyclone we have been most appropriate as we helped yesterday many of pet dogs and their owners to safer grounds, there was no casualty of the street dogs as they escaped to higher grounds and fed those that we could see running around but no food and also fed those stray cattle standing in shop pavements and higher places. Many snakes came out from the flooded areas working their way to safer grounds and most of the cobras taking refuge in our biogas area. We have snake pits just outside our shelter and on much higher ground. It was indeed very difficult to take photos with running rains and no time for anybody to click but this is our emotion and sentiment to show love for the animals first. But today we have taken more photos with our team left early morning and the report will be out soon.
Of there are many areas effected with the recent cyclone areas especially those areas that we visited during our Tsunami efforts and any more volunteers besides our 10 members and three trucks will help reach these areas faster. Our shelter vet is missing since he left to his native place for domestic reasons just before this cyclone happened and never returned and we are without any shelter vet just moving with three parttime vets who have to deal with the ongoing ABC programme also.
We have dewormed all the cattle and only vaccination needs to be done. Most important our works relates:
- cleanup jobs,
- providing routinely cleanup and feed of these animals,
- providing medication after diagnosis the problems some of these animals are getting stiff on their legs, injured hooves, flatfooted due to constant exposures to mud and water
- continue with the rescues and looking after the incoming animals after making suitable provisions,
- and above all the plan and setup for the future to make it compatible against natural disasters like cyclones (these are cyclone months unto November) and earthquakes.
For the outreach areas which we would have made very good progress had we not got bogged down with our shelter rescues but making gradual efforts and we are concentrating on three districts and of possible onward to Ongole (much further south — severe flooding and one of the areas we went to after the tsunami).
And for these areas we need to give good medical protocols to the domestic animals like goats, sheep, cows, buffaloes , chickens as the villagers own them for pets, commercial and consumption and many have pigs also. The dogs and cats are also like community animals.
Just as in the Tsunami and for which our long-term objectives are continuing like we developed good relationship to do the spay/neuter programme for the dogs and medical attention to their domestic animals. This has allowed us to put belief in them to do or atleast lessen animal sacrifices and wildlife trading besides the dog killings another words respect the animals and usage of the animals for their own prosperities. We have developed an economic goal for them to prove that cattle need not be sold for any reason but kept till their natural death just using their dung and urine for producing natural fertilisers, pesticides, medicines and electricity which is in place at our shelter before this flooding hit us.
We want to use this flooding campaign to these areas also with the dual advantage for the animals helping the distressed ones while putting in place all the programmes. And putting in place for mobile clinic and the spay/neuter. It will be a big boost for animal welfare movement here as we are mostly the most active in this coastal area.
The government has done some deworming and vaccination in vulnerable villages against anthrax (we are prone to this disease) and also Foot and Mouth disease (editor’s note: unlike in the western countries where they are killed because they become unfit for the meat supply, cattle who have hoof and mouth disease in India are treated and have an excellent chance of recovery) . But we are urgently helping in many areas the govt has not done. By the way our migratory birds (storks and pelicans) in Skrikakulum also have arrived in which is our community based protection and falls in one of the flooded areas. So we are anxious to find out about them also (about 3 hour drive north of Visakha). Our seaturtle protection program is a few months away.
– Pradeep Kumar Nath
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