Rescuing Animals in India After Heavy Floods
Torrential rains and flooding of major rivers has ravaged both the eastern and western states of Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat respectively, leaving a trail of destruction in these Indian states. Animal disaster relief groups are organizing relief efforts for livestock, pet and wildlife rescue, care, and rehabilitation.
WREN members from Prayas, a local NGO in Gujarat, helped patients to safety when the ground floor of a city hospital in Surat was engulfed by flooding waters. With ER gear provided by IFAW’s support last year, the team members are now getting around in their inflatable rafts and supplying food packets to affected people while continuing their animal rescue work.
The team managed to rescue four pups, three kittens, a buffalo, a squirrel and a few snakes. All of the animals are under the care of the team and will be rehabilitated once the floods subside. The team also received several calls for the rescue of birds, reptiles, small mammals and other wildlife. IFAW’s support has helped them obtain animal rescue equipment such as snake tongs, transportation crates, shelter cages and more.
Torches were a great help at night as the team opened a 24 hour animal rescue helpline. Some of the wildlife handled by the team includes wild mammals (civet cat, Hanuman langur, palm squirrel), birds (koel, myna, barn owl, Pariah kite, egret, crow, parakeet, barbet, peafowl, pigeons) and reptiles (common cobra, Russel’s viper, saw scaled viper, krait, rat snake, chequered keel back, striped keel back, wolf snake, trinket, cat snake, sand snake, bronze backed tree snake, blind snake, wine snake, earth boa, banded racer, monitor lizard, Indian soft-shell turtles).
Various other WREN members in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat are also involved in animal rescue and care efforts following the floods.
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The ER team are vaccinating livestock and domestic animals as part of their relief effort. Foto © IFAW
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The ER team treats a domestic fowl. Foto © IFAW
