IFAW Rescues Animals from Floods in India

“Massive flooding in the city of Mumbai and areas in Gujarat and Maharashtra has already killed thousands of animals,” said Anand Ramanathan, IFAW Emergency Relief operations manager. “In response, IFAW and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) have mobilized Emergency Relief team members to rescue as many animals we can.”
 
Northeast India is known for annual flooding but this year unexpected floods in Western India left many unprepared. In Mumbai, more than 2,500 buffaloes and 14,000 sheep and goats were killed when the enclosed pens flooded with 14 feet of water. Hundreds of farm animals, including 800 pigs from a local pig farm, were washed away in heavy flooding.
 
In Gujarat, IFAW’s Emergency Relief (ER) team is working with local wildlife rehabbers has already rescued more than 200 snakes and endangered sea turtles displaced by the floods.
 
In Maharashtra, IFAW’s ER team is working with local vets and has treated hundreds of dogs, cats, cows, buffaloes and goats affected by the flooding – including the vaccination of hundreds of animals to prevent the spread of disease. The IFAW ER team is also distributing food and medicine to poor villagers who are unable to take care of cattle and livestock. Rescue teams are reaching out to assess and assist animals in other villages as they become more accessible while the flooding recedes. Relief efforts are expected to continue for another week.