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ESSENTIAL DESTINATIONS
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OCTOBER 2005
First humane responder to tsunami is hit by typhoon
VISAKHAPATNAM––The Visakha SPCA, among the first humane societies to respond to the December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, was almost obliterated by flash-flooding following a September 19 typhoon that broke an upstream dam.
“At 11:30 a.m.,” founder Pradeep Kumar Nath noticed, “most of the 330 cattle on the premises suddenly turned restless,” after enduring a day and a half of heavy rain and ankle-deep standing water in their sheds.
“They began to cry out in despair,” Nath continued. “Immediately shelter manager Sarada Buddhiraju and a helper, Raj, threw the goshala gate open, and all of the cattle ran out. Half an hour later the west wall gave way and flooding began that reached eight feet. This made Sarada and Raj rush to pull all the puppies out of the pound and a nearby storage area where some dogs rest.
Worms were the most immediate animal casualties. “Due to the heavy water all the 50,000 earthworms born in our vermicompost pits have come to a tragic end,” Nath said.
Two trucks from philanthropist Manju Nath and the Karuna Society for Animals & Nature in Puttaparthi reached the Visakha SPCA first with help.
“The situation is worse than it looks in pictures,” e-mailed Karuna Society director Clementien Pauws. “Although electricity is restored in the main building, there are mud, destruction, polluted wells, stagnant water, broken trees, pieces of walls, dirt and filth” to cope with everywhere.
“The pumps are not working, and the pipelines are destroyed so supplying drinking water to the animals is a problem. The entire place is covered with cow dung and mud too deep to measure,” Pauws continued.
“Some of the animals are sleeping outside the compound on higher ground. Although food is available now outside the compound,” Pauws said, “a temporary shelter and drainage is needed to keep all the animals dry and clean during reconstruction. The animals are in danger of getting sick, and need immediate vaccinations.
“The first job to be done is to remove all that is destroyed,” Pauws assessed. “This has to be done by people who are willing to get dirty, sliding in the mud, who are strong enough to remove most of the material by hand.
“We brought from Puttaparti three masons,” Pauws added, “but there is no dry sand available to make cement and start reconstruction of the wells. So, all are working on the clean-up. Pradeep hired a machine to clean out the well, but the motor is not working and it needs repair. The work is also much hampered by heavy rain.”
The Visakha SPCA Animal Birth Control program and emergency care for injured animals continued despite the disruption, but at a reduced pace.
Despite the destruction of the Visakha SPCA headquarters, Pradeep Kumar Nath hoped “to go out and help the animals in the neighbouring areas as soon as possible,” he told ANIMAL PEOPLE. “I think the government will rebuild the wall,” he said. “Seven sheds and complete flooring and drainage also must be rebuilt to withstand future problems, and for these I am afraid I need help.”
The World Society for the Protection of Animals on September 23 sent $17,500 “to fund three outreach disaster relief teams to be controlled by Pradeep Kumar Nath of VSPCA, in the wake of the current flooding in Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and West Godavari,” WSPA director general Peter Davies told ANIMAL PEOPLE. “The money will cover the team wages and administration, medicines, vehicle hiring and running, and animal feed.”
Humane Society International chief executive Andrew Rowan told ANIMAL PEOPLE that HSI would help the Visakha SPCA recovery effort, and sent HSI Southeast Asia representative Sherry Grant to Visakhapatnam to help assess what should be done.
“With every bad, something good turns out,” Pradeep Kumar Nath told ANIMAL PEOPLE after two weeks of clean-up and repair work. “This disaster has helped people everywhere know that we exist for the animals.”
[Contact: Visakha SPCA, 26-15-200 Main Road, Visakhapatnam 530001, India; phone: 91-891-564759; <vspcadeep@yahoo.co.in>.]