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| Disaster relief responders treat sick and injured animals |
by Tamara Church Swanson
After weeks of pounding rain, parts of Orissa, India's poorest state, remain isolated. Some evacuees have returned to their villages through the floodwaters, but many others are marooned on sand dunes, and it is not clear how they will survive.
Two broken levees remain unrepaired, and with cyclone season fast approaching, it is unclear whether the Indian government plans to rebuild them. Crops and grazing lands will remain submerged until the levees are repaired and the flood water flows out to sea.
Hungry and Homeless
Livestock are at risk for starvation. Calving and lambing season begins soon, and if livestock do not receive fodder, the animals and people who depend on them will experience a domino effect. Consequences extend beyond animal starvation—whole villages can be affected. Lands cannot be tilled; crops, for human consumption and livestock fodder, will not grow; animals will be unable to produce dairy; milk production may stop, leaving animals unable to feed newborn calves; and lost dairy production, a mainstay of the Orissa region, will add to economic devastation.
Where do hungry, homeless animals graze when land is submerged? "There is intense pressure on the strips of land that are available," said Sherry Grant, HSI Asia's director. "Even the land above water is simply not enough to accommodate this many hungry animals."
Restoring the lands will not be an easy task. Because of sand and silt, regaining fertile ground and grazing areas could take as long as a year, increasing pressure on the herds.
Veterinarian Help Needed
Once animals do receive fodder, a trained livestock veterinarian will be needed to monitor animals' health conditions, and to diagnose, treat or prevent illnesses that may occur.
Meanwhile, HSI Asia will try to work with local governments to "get animals on their radar screen, and to emphasize the livelihoods at stake and the future economic impact which will be intensified beyond crop loss," Grant said.
