I'm happy to tell you that the shade netting and mineral supplements have arrived for the animals coping with the terrible drought in Maharashtra State. While this means 9,000 animals have a fighting chance to get through this drought, our work now turns to persuading the remaining camps across the state to adopt this model camp approach. Have a look at some photos of the arrival below! WSPA's Dr. Akash Maheshwari demonstrates the right mixture of mineral supplements to feed as a hungry water buffalo looks on WSPA's Hansen Thambi Prem and cattle camp residents unfurl the first of the... Continue reading

Our third day in the cattle camps and we were there from early morning until sunset. The heat from the sun around midday was so strong, I was constantly thirsty and sought shade in or beside the makeshift cattle shelters. Makeshift shelters Whirlwinds passed through the camps every hour or so, creating vivid tunnels of dust, garbage and dried up leaves. While not dangerous, they are unpleasant and afterwards you rub grit from your eyes and have to rinse out your mouth. This was one day. I met people who’ve been living there every day since December. It’s uncomfortably hot... Continue reading

We arrived early in the morning in Yeshwanth Cattle Camp, one of three locations where WSPA is helping 9,000 animals. As we neared, I could hear the soft tinkling sound of bells many buffalo and cows were wearing. WSPA India’s Hansen Thambi Prem at the Yeshwanth Cattle Camp in Beed Some camp residents were already caring for their animal companions, pouring out buckets of chopped sugarcane, their main source of fodder. Some were rolling up their bed mats and shaking off sleep. They’re living in the camp like the young boy Gyaneshwar we met the other day. Camps range in... Continue reading

Yesterday, I joined my colleagues from WSPA India in Beed and visited some of the villages and cattle camps in the drought area. The lands are parched and this normally green centre of sugarcane production looks more like a scrub desert. A drought ravaged field in Beed, Maharashtra State, central India One theory of how Beed came to get its name is as a variation on an early name for the area: ‘Bir’ which is Arabic for ‘well’. I saw several wells today, all of which had run dry. Fields and riverbeds were parched and we frequently saw goats walking... Continue reading

We arrived in Honiara the capital of Solomon Islands and have confirmed we’ll be on the ground in Santa Cruz tomorrow. Today, we met with government departments including the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock to plan out how we can work alongside them and complement the ongoing relief efforts in Temotu Province where Santa Cruz Island is located. A director at the Ministry said they were “very happy to have the extra hands to help.” The Solomon Islands Government officially declared a State of Disaster for Santa Cruz Islands today. Reports from the remote islands are incomplete, so we still... Continue reading

Earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, severe temperature swings: so often natural disasters surprise us. Depending on how severe and the conditions of the place they strike, they can overwhelm communities – leaving chaos and destruction in their wake. Is there any way you can prepare for a natural disaster? As daunting as that sounds, what can we do to plan for our pets? How can a rural farmer account for the needs of livestock when a disaster strikes? Participants in the simulated flood exercise. It was with these questions in mind that WSPA came together with about 500 villagers in Bihar State,... Continue reading

In Assam, people sing traditional songs called Bihu – songs about a way of life that has lasted for thousands of years. The songs bring to life the timeless relationship between animals and the people who depend on them. One such song is about a man who is destined to never find a wife because all his time is dedicated to his buffalo and the endless tasks involved in tending to fields and crops. In Seujia Pathar village, they no longer raise buffalo. In 1980, the villagers stopped this ancient practice and switched to raising bulls -- an animal that... Continue reading

The large bull was not in a cooperative mood and snorted loudly as we approached. Constantly keeping a nervous eye on the group of strangers approaching clutching notebooks and a roll of measuring tape, he jumped and charged while his owner Bhigu Konwar tried to calm him. Bhigu Khonwar and his bull It was early Wednesday morning in Seujia Pathar, a remote village in Assam in northeastern India and we are here with the Machkhowa Block veterinary surgeon Dr. Changmai. We’re initiating WSPA’s long-term response to the floods that ravaged the village between July and October this year. WSPA was... Continue reading

The Catingin family from Taguig, Philippines went to bed on August 10 at the usual time of 9:00 PM. Rosita and her husband Joel, along with their son Jerome thought nothing of the rains outside. While heavy, they came on the footsteps of two recent typhoons and multiple rainstorms. Along with their dog Brownie, they lay in the dim light of a single 60-watt bulb until settling into sleep around 9:30. Brownie is a gentle, mixed-breed dog the Catingin family rescued after his previous owner decided to abandon him due to a chronic skin condition. Nursing Brownie back to health... Continue reading