Pause for the pawed

Aparajita Monga

The instructions are always clear: Humans first, pets later. That was also the brief to those carrying out rescue works during Kerala floods. People were forced to leave behind their pets. It all happened in such a huff that many animals were left in chains or caged. However, some took upon themselves the task of rescuing them.

From saving dogs and cats to cows and goats, animal rescue workers dared extreme situations to accomplish the task. Even as landslides occurred right in front of the teams, they continued with the work. Videos of rescue came up all over social media from the worst-affected areas of Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Thrissur and left people amazed; in tears too.

Humane Society International works for protecting animals in laboratories, farm animals and wildlife. As Kerala reeled under its worst floods in a century, its India team reached Nilambur in Malappuram district. The havoc wreaked by torrential rains forced people to leave their homes and pets behind. The HSI team members then took it upon themselves to ensure safety of these birds and animals. Thirteen dogs were saved in the first few days and brought to the base camp at Tirur. The team then went on to rescue more than 20 goats and eight cows from the flood-hit areas.

A disaster helpline number was launched and a WhatsApp group was created in coalition with animal rescue groups and activists working from all over India. People began calling in with details of their pets. Their location was shared with teams on ground. The teams saved animals in Thrissur, Allappuzha and Ranni also. Sally Verma, HSI India’s education and awareness officer, says they were able to rescue hundreds of animals. They also provided tonnes of cattle feed and dog and cat food.

As the rains battered the coastal state, animals fled to roofs of houses and high grounds, which made bringing them down a task for the 15-member team of Hyderabad-based Animal Warriors. Transportation of these animals was a challenge too. The only way to get them out was through boats and the team was worried the animals might jump out and fall into water. Absence of shelter homes for animals was another problem. The team thus decided to stay in Allappuzha, one of the worst- affected areas, to feed the animals, around 400 in number, daily. They kept all the animals in an abandoned house and fed them. Upon their return, the residents were elated to find their pets in healthy condition and were grateful towards the members of the team.

After the floods receded, it was found that many of the houses had been infested with snakes. The Animal Warriors team came to the rescue again and relocated 23 snakes, which included water snakes, cobras and pythons.

Among the others to join hands in Kerala were People for Animals (PFA), Trivandrum, Hands for Paws and Street Dog Watch. They were most active in Chengannur and Kuttanad in Alappy districts. Their spokesperson narrates an incident where one of the rescued dogs jumped into the water and swam to a man standing on the other side. The man had tears running down his eyes. “It did not take us long to figure out that the pet and the owner had been reunited.”

Cows, owing to their size, were the most difficult to rescue. Almost 500 of them had to be first taken to higher grounds to save them from the water and then brought down once the waters receded. With grazing areas flooded, arranging fodder for the bovines was a major challenge. Volunteers came forward and helped in this. Fodder is still being distributed in the state.

Many veterinarians joined hands with the Animal Husbandry Department to rescue the animals at a point when no one was in a position to spare a thought for them.

In action, elsewhere

Humane Society International India has been active during Guatemala volcanic activity, Mexican earthquake, etc. Animal Warriors India has rescued animals at various points in time. They rescued a dog stuck in a narrow crevice for more than 40 hours, a cat that had fallen into a 110 ft well, and many more. World Animal Protection India helped during the Uttarakhand floods, Maharashtra drought and Assam floods.

Not without my dogs

During operations, HSI team came across a woman, Sunitha from Thrissur, who refused to leave her home unless her 25 dogs were rescued. HSI arranged to shift her to a safe location and also provided food supplies to her and her dogs.