The month-long drive will cover 20 flood-affected villages across 10 districts of Assam
International animal welfare organization World Animal Protection, along with National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Veterinary Emergency Response Unit (VERU) East Zone, Department of Animal Husbandry, Assam, West Assam Milk Producers Cooperative Union Limited (WAMUL) and local communities is organizing mobile veterinary treatment camps for animals affected by the floods in Assam. Till now the camps have been organized in five villages, covering 694 households and providing treatment to 3912 animals.
Heavy monsoon rains caused floods, landslides and destruction in Assam in July 2020. Two mighty rivers, Brahmaputra and Barak, and their tributaries have flooded almost all of the 33 districts in Assam.
Many rural economies and livelihoods have been destroyed. According to government reports, 2,543 villages in Assam are affected, 136 people lost their lives and approximately 50,000 people are residing in relief camps.
A total of 143 animals have died in the Kaziranga National Park and 165 have been rescued. More than 2.3 million farm animals have been affected in Assam.
Many animals in flooded areas are stressed and stranded in contaminated floodwaters and are at risk of parasites, infection, diseases and injuries.
World Animal Protection will continue to organise these veterinary treatment camps in 15 more villages that have been severely affected by the floods.
This response is also a reminder for the need of a state-level disaster management plan for animals in Assam.
While disaster response rightly prioritizes people’s immediate needs, the long-term recovery from disasters is inextricably linked with the well-being of their animals.
