Julia and Juana from our disaster management team in Latin America travelled to the Manabi province in Ecuador yesterday to assess the damage caused by the recent flooding. So far, 10 people have tragically died after heavy rain set off mudslides and caused rivers to overflow. Over 3,000 families have lost their homes, crops and animals in the rural communities of La Union and San Pablo del Pueblo. With almost 90% of land lost, around 12,000 animal’s lives are in danger. Concerns continue to grow as the transmission of disease from animals to humans becomes a real threat. Whilst the... Continue reading

The residents of Buenos Aires and La Plata were left in shock last week after flash floods killed 54 people and forced a further 4,000 people to evacuate their homes. A WSPA response team was deployed to the field to assess what could be done to assist local communities in treating injured animals. On reaching the field, they found a large number of animals wandering through the flooded streets suffering from hunger and dehydration. Sergio Vásquez, WSPA’s Disasters Management Veterinary Officer recounts the tragic story of Luna, a mare that was stolen and attacked by a local gang. “A few... Continue reading

After an appeal for help from the Indian Government, WSPA is sending an expert disaster response team to the Western state of Maharashtra, to help the animals affected by the severe drought. Communities in the region, which are heavily reliant on livestock and working animals for their livelihoods, have seen their crops destroyed after average rainfall dropped by up to 50%. While the government has supplied fodder and water to 400 cattle camps across the state - helping to sustain animals through to the monsoon season in June - experts are still concerned these supplies won’t be sufficient, as the... Continue reading

Over the past few days we have been working our way through the villages of the remote Santa Cruz Islands, which lie about 400 kilometres southeast of the Solomon chain. There are many devastated villages on both the western and southern coastlines. In one of the worst hit, Nea, on the south side of the islands, there are flattened houses everywhere – one was even lifted by the wave and carried into the middle of a road! We have learned that as the villagers evacuated they attempted to release their livestock, which is a common practice here and gives the... Continue reading

Following the 8.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Solomon Islands on Wednesday, WSPA has deployed a Disaster Response Team to determine the impact of the disaster on the animal community and what type of response is required. Continued aftershocks (more than 23 in total) exceeding 5.0 magnitude are worsening the situation and hampering current relief efforts. Preliminary reports indicate at least four villages have been hit, at least 50 homes destroyed, six deaths, and several people missing. Animal fatalities have been discovered amongst the tsunami debris and it is thought that hundreds of animals have been left injured or stray... Continue reading

Only 24 hours after arriving in Nicaragua, WSPA's Disaster Response Team has been able to assist 1,219 animals across two sites. Working with local community leaders in Las Grecias and the Oriental Comarcas, the veterinary team has treated the sick and injured animals with various medications including: Deworming medicine Antibiotics Multivitamins Wounds cleaned and treated with topical spray and antiseptic Respiratory and allergic treatments Tomorrow the team will be joined by local partner A.MER.TE before heading off, in two groups, to the remaining communities to distribute fodder and treat the affected animals. Keep checking the blog for more updates to... Continue reading

On 4th December 2012, one of the most powerful cyclones Philippines have ever seen hit the southern island of Mindanao. The tropical storm ‘Bopha’ caused strong winds of 220km/hr causing destruction of infrastructure, and agriculture – leading to a shortage of food, clean water and shelter. An overwhelming number have been affected. 45,000 families (an estimated 213,500 people) are reeling from the devastation, with the cities of Cateel and Davao Oriental being victim. The people of the Philippines have lost their most personal possessions, news reports suggest the official death toll has risen to nearly 600 people and approximately 1000... Continue reading

When Hurricane Sandy thrashed Haiti last month, 54 people were killed and thousands of Haitians were left homeless, adding more misery to a country still struggling to recover from the devastating earthquake that killed 200,000 people in 2010. Then, just two weeks after Sandy, severe flooding swept across the North East, North West, and Ouest Nippes regions, punishing the impoverished nation once again. On Wednesday 21st November, a WSPA response team deployed to two rural communities outside of Cap Haitian, Haiti’s second largest city. These areas are home to cattle, pigs, poultry and donkeys, as well as companion animals like... Continue reading

WSPA’s Disaster Management Team continues to closely monitor Hurricane Sandy and remains in regular contact with our partners on the ground. Fortunately, there are a large number of experienced and highly skilled US-based organisations that will be available to respond to the needs of any animals affected. We will keep you up to date with any developments. Continue reading

On the 13th October, each year, we celebrate the International Day for Disaster Reduction. This year the theme of the celebration is “Women and Girls - the [in]Visible Force of Resilience". To mark this occasion, we asked some of the wonderful women who work in this field, to explain the importance of disaster risk reduction in their own words. This is what they said: “If we now know that women and girls are more prone to die during disasters (14 times more than men according to Peterson,2007) and we are the foundation for the world´s economy, it is necessary and... Continue reading

It’s always difficult for us to hear about the inevitable suffering animals face in the wake of a disaster, but we were particularly shocked by the brutal, and seemingly needless, attack on hundreds of animals caught at the heart of a violent feud between local communities in the Tana Delta River district of Kenya, last month. In the single, most violent incident to have happened in the region for the last 4 years, humans and animals were attacked with machetes and spears, leaving 48 people and over 600 livestock dead. The conflict was a result of a long-standing dispute between... Continue reading