Animals Suffered and Died in Tsunami, Too

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NEW DELHI, INDIA, January 8, 2005: The loss of human life in the tsunami was huge and frightening. But has anyone bothered to put a number to the animals that have also been affected? Domestic animals have been the worst hit. “Many owners left their pets behind. In some areas, dead cows can be seen tied to poles and trees,” says Pradeep Kumar Nath, honorary president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. “The animals which have been abandoned should be helped first, the dead buried and others rescued. The immediate requirement is for animal feed and medicines.” Adds Dr Kevin D’Mello, a vet with International Animal Rescue, who visited Pondicherry, Velankanni and Nagapattinam. “The biggest problem we foresee would be drinking water getting infected.” Animals activist Maneka Gandhi says, “Abandoned, wounded animals are at risk of starving to death. Also, being the beginning of the year, most corporates have sent huge funding for tsunami relief and have nothing for animals.”