The Flood and consequent tragedy in Uttarakhand has drawn worldwide attention towards the apathy of pilgrims stranded there, but very less attention has been given to thousands of Animals specially Mules, who are left dying in the hilly tracts.
Mules are the prime means of conveyance on the 14km tract of Gaurikund to Kedarnath where vehicles cannot ply. It is believed that about 8,000 mules were in service this year out of which 2,000 are missing, report sources,
Reports are that healthy mules were taken away by their owners, while injured ones were left to die and perish at the tragedy-stuck area. The Government too is apathetic towards them. When Chief Veterinary Officers of Affected area were asked to ascertain if they needed any medicines but they said that they had no need for these
People for Animals and few other organizations working for Animals have setup a joint team and started rescue operations on Saturday.
According to a member secretary of People For Animals, Gauri Maulekhi, the PFA, along with Humane Society International (HSI), has formed a nine-member team, comprising one equine specialist veterinarian, two para-vets, one disaster management specialist, one Alpine specialist, visited Gaurikund on Saturday.
They are carrying basic vaccines and antibiotics for the animals, very little food (owing to lack of space), medicines for themselves and a handful of SIM-cards. “We’ve been told that there are carcasses everywhere and the stench is unbearable. The water is contaminated. So, we have to be very careful,†says Mulekhi, who also works with the Animal Welfare Board of India.
Once the team assesses the situation, they will make additional trips. At present, the urgent need is for medicines and food. The Uttarakhand Livestock Development Board has provided them with fodder that is blow-dried and formed into briskets that can be broken and fed to the animals, and that is easy to carry.
People for Animals (PFA) is an organization for the welfare of animals Chaired by Maneka Gandhi and has 2.5 Lakh members worldwide. You may donate to ‘People for Animals, Uttarakhand’, Account no. 711201011000823, Vijaya Bank, Rajpur Road Branch, Dehradun.