Haiti compared to Sichuan

[Guest guest]

Many people have asked me during the past week about how to

help the animals of Haiti, presumed to be suffering along with the

human earthquake victims.

 

I have just reviewed about 120 photos of the situation,

including many street scenes, & am struck by the complete absence of

animals, especially dogs and cats.

 

As many of you know, I have been reporting about animal

disaster relief for decades, beginning even before Hurricane Andrew

in 1992, which impelled the formation of the first standing animal

disaster relief plans in the U.S., so I have considerable background

in examining photos of human disaster victims to find clues to the

condition & fate of the animals caught in the same situations.

 

Usually about one disaster photo in 10 includes an animal,

if only an accidental image in the distance or the shadows.

 

This time the only animals in photos have been

search-and-rescue dogs brought from other parts of the world.

 

This stands in stark contrast to the early photos from the

Sichuan earthquake in China, the big earthquakes in Peru and

Pakistan in recent years, the Indian Ocean tsunami, and Hurricane

Katrina.

 

After all of these other disasters, which hit places known

to have huge populations of street dogs, feral cats, pet animals,

working animals, and livestock, dogs were visibly standing watch

over the remains of the humans who fed them, or trying to guide help

to them, or foraging for food. Cats could be seen in the rubble.

The remains of working animals lay among the human dead. In some

cases working animals were helping in the rescue effort.

 

I do not have any statistical data, reliable or otherwise,

about the numbers of animals who might have been hit by the Haitian

earthquake, but I am suspecting that the extreme poverty and food

scarcity in Haiti may have tended to hold the street animal

population to much less than is the norm for other parts of the

developing world. Obviously few people could afford to keep pets,

and as feeding a horse, donkey, mule, or ox costs a lot more than

feeding a dog, working animals may also have been relatively

uncommon.

 

 

--

Merritt Clifton

Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

Telephone: 360-579-2505

Fax: 360-579-2575

E-mail: anmlpepl

Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

 

[ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper providing

original investigative coverage of animal protection worldwide,

founded in 1992. Our readership of 30,000-plus includes the

decision-makers at more than 10,000 animal protection organizations.

We have no alignment or affiliation with any other entity. $24/year;

for free sample, send address.]

[Guest guest]

Merritt, I think we have to assume the worst. When I was there in the early

1980¹s (I know, that was eons ago in the animal world) the place was much

like Nepal is today, but more feral cats near the shores eating fish. I did

see one pic of a street dog in the rubble on the NYT site (one pic outta

about the 300 I went thru). Perhaps it¹s the media reporting at play here.

With a disaster this size, humans usually get preference (hey, just like

Nepal). But perhaps the population for working animals is different in

Haiti, as you note. When I was there, I did not know the difference between

a mule and horse, and unfortunately paid no attention to the animal kingdom

­ such is youth in the Œ80s.

Jigs in Nepal

 

 

 

Merritt Clifton <anmlpepl

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:48:13 +0800

<aapn >

Haiti compared to Sichuan

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many people have asked me during the past week about how to

help the animals of Haiti, presumed to be suffering along with the

human earthquake victims.

 

I have just reviewed about 120 photos of the situation,

including many street scenes, & am struck by the complete absence of

animals, especially dogs and cats.

 

As many of you know, I have been reporting about animal

disaster relief for decades, beginning even before Hurricane Andrew

in 1992, which impelled the formation of the first standing animal

disaster relief plans in the U.S., so I have considerable background

in examining photos of human disaster victims to find clues to the

condition & fate of the animals caught in the same situations.

 

Usually about one disaster photo in 10 includes an animal,

if only an accidental image in the distance or the shadows.

 

This time the only animals in photos have been

search-and-rescue dogs brought from other parts of the world.

 

This stands in stark contrast to the early photos from the

Sichuan earthquake in China, the big earthquakes in Peru and

Pakistan in recent years, the Indian Ocean tsunami, and Hurricane

Katrina.

 

After all of these other disasters, which hit places known

to have huge populations of street dogs, feral cats, pet animals,

working animals, and livestock, dogs were visibly standing watch

over the remains of the humans who fed them, or trying to guide help

to them, or foraging for food. Cats could be seen in the rubble.

The remains of working animals lay among the human dead. In some

cases working animals were helping in the rescue effort.

 

I do not have any statistical data, reliable or otherwise,

about the numbers of animals who might have been hit by the Haitian

earthquake, but I am suspecting that the extreme poverty and food

scarcity in Haiti may have tended to hold the street animal

population to much less than is the norm for other parts of the

developing world. Obviously few people could afford to keep pets,

and as feeding a horse, donkey, mule, or ox costs a lot more than

feeding a dog, working animals may also have been relatively

uncommon.

 

--

Merritt Clifton

Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

Telephone: 360-579-2505

Fax: 360-579-2575

E-mail: anmlpepl <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com>

Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

 

[ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper providing

original investigative coverage of animal protection worldwide,

founded in 1992. Our readership of 30,000-plus includes the

decision-makers at more than 10,000 animal protection organizations.

We have no alignment or affiliation with any other entity. $24/year;

for free sample, send address.]