Emergency aid reaches animals in worst hit region of Myanmar

[Guest guest]

Link:

http://www.wspa-usa.org/pages/2397_emergency_aid_reaches_animals_in_worst_hit_re\

gion_of_myanmar.cfm

 

*On Saturday, May 31st, the WSPA disaster assessment and response (DART)

team entered Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta, the low-lying region hardest hit by

Cyclone Nargis.*

 

It has been reported that 95% of buildings in the Irrawaddy Delta area have

been destroyed and that there are huge human casualties, feared to run into

the hundreds of thousands.

 

For the survivors, draft animals represent future livelihoods and food

security.

 

*Delivering feed and veterinary aid*

 

WSPA's first shipment of emergency animal feed was delivered on Saturday as

the team travelled from the capital Yangon to the Delta area to begin their

assessment.

 

The WSPA vets were allowed full access, through multiple roadblocks, to the

villages where animal need was most acute. Their ultimate destination was

Laputta (Labutta), where the community has lost 90% of its animals.

 

Dr. Ian Dacre, DART team leader, was able to phone WSPA in London to tell us

what the team were able to achieve over the weekend and share some

observations on the effect of the cyclone on local people and animals:

 

*On distributing food and the available veterinary facilities:*

 

" The first place we stopped was one of the ministry veterinary departments.

The house opposite was where… the vet lived; when the waves came through his

wife and one of his two children both drowned. [At] the next village we got

ready for distribution and again another veterinary facility had been

destroyed. "

 

*On aid coming from inside and outside Myanmar:*

 

" There are 123 families in [this] village that are involved with livestock

and 66 of them are going to get one animal which they will share... It will

be oxen and bullocks… The government have bought about 600 and the FAO have

about 1,000 or so… they are good condition working bullocks which are just

what they need. "

 

*On the determination to recover in Konyin Kone (pictured) where 1,200

people died when cyclone Nargis hit:*

 

" It is amazing to see how quickly [the people] have been able to reconstruct

their homes out of natural materials. I found out yesterday what the name

Myanmar actually means. 'Myan' means quick and 'mar' means hard and that is

what these resilient people are, quick and hard - strong. "

 

Dr. Tim Myers, DART team member, confirmed on Sunday that the team were well

and continuing their work in Laputta.

 

 

 

 

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