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Strays face hunger, disease
16/01/2005 14:06 - (SA)
Nagappattinam - A series of relief camps are being set up for tens of thousands of stray farm animals facing hunger and disease as they wander around tsunami-battered south India, officials said.
Very little attention has been paid to livestock - mostly cows and goats - which lost shelter, grazing land and their caretakers in the December 26 disaster, said Dr P Prabhakaran of Frendicose, an animal care group.
In Tamil Nadu, the worst-hit Indian state, more than 10 000 farm animals were killed by the tsunami. A much larger number of surviving animals moved to higher ground in search of grazing land.
Faced with hunger, many are now moving to relief camps in towns and villages, eating food from garbage piles. But food cooked for humans can cause abdominal problems for animals, said R Thyagarajan, an official in the state animal husbandry department. Plastic bags, which animals often eat, can cause even worse problems.
"We are asking people, voluntary workers to be careful," Thyagarajan said.
Vaccinated against disease
Disease is also a problem, with officials particularly fearing the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.
Fearing outbreaks of disease, veterinary officials have begun vaccinating livestock in the area.
But the most immediate concern is bringing fodder for the stray animals, whose seaside grazing land has been destroyed. Several animal care groups are helping government veterinary workers transport fodder from villages in the interior.
More than 30 animal relief camps are being set up in Nagappattinam, the state's worst-hit district, to provide food and medical care for the animals, said J Radhakrishnan, the top district official.
Local officials are also encouraging villagers to adopt stray animals.
Radhakrishnan said officials paid little attention to animals at first.
"If we had tried to do anything for the animals then, we would have been blamed for ignoring the humans," he said. Nearly 8 000 people died in his district and hundreds are still missing.
- AP
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