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Sherry's Diary

Helping the Animals at Visahka, India

These puppies were found with their mother,

in need of nourishing food and medication

 

[note: Sherry is on the the eastern costal city of Visakha, India.  The city and the surrounding areas were wiped out in a cyclone (or hurricane) that swept through the area in mid-October.  She is there assisting the Visakha SPCA (VSPCA) and its president, Pradeep Nath.  The VSPCA cares for over 700 animals including dogs and farm animals.  Their shelter and facilities were wiped out in the Cyclone and HSI has funded rebuilding the animal shelters and caring for the injured animals.  Sherry is there to oversee the project and offer what aid HSI can.  For assistance, she has called upon the HSI supported teams from the Yudisthira Bali Street Dog Foundation and the Sri Lankan Tsunami Memorial Animal Welfare Trust (TMAWT).  Both groups have sent veterinarian teams to help with the work.  The effort is also being assisted by the animal welfare groups AHEAD, from Ahmedabad, India, and Animal Aid, from Udiapor, India.]

 

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Sherry Grant

Visakha, India

Thursday, 27 October 2005

Today started out as a day with a lot of hope.  We hoped that Rahul Sehgal would not get completely sick.  We hoped that Gagendra, from Animal Aid, would be on his feet  with his pulled hamstring from the day before.  And we hoped that the sun that was smiling on us would stay for one more day. There had been rain over the past 24 hours, but things were starting to dry out.  Comparatively speaking, the ground at the cow enclosure where we were working looked fantastic.  There were actually a few dry patches where you could walk without your boots getting sucked off.  This meant that the ground was draining!  The local labor showed up today and the Tsunami Memorial Trust teamed joined the A.H.E.A.D. team.  We were all breathing a little easier this morning until……….

Woman brings her dog to the outreach team

for much needed medicine and food

the tractor broke and it looked like was not going to get repaired any time soon.  Then the electricity was turned off because a levell 4 cyclone was due in the afternoon.  Then the gas was turned off.  All spay neuter training came to a screeching halt and the focus for all was the final dismantling of the remaining cattle shed. 

Then the sky opened up around 4:30.  It was pouring down rain.  Pradeep took me along to plead with the gas company to turn the gas back on.  They are making three vats of dog food over a camp fire that was being compromised by the pouring rains.  He and I were soaked by the time we found the office.  We were looking pathetic rather than desperate.  They agreed to turn the gas back on especially since gas pipes aren’t really at risk.  I am not sure I added anything to the brief meeting, but Pradeep said indeed it makes a difference when a white face shows up…..things happen.  He said he wanted them to see my yellow disaster response tee-shirt to show them that he is really having a natural disaster and people around the world cared – and so should they.  I laughed.

It was the only and last laugh of the day.  When we returned to the site, night was drawing near and the equipment never got running.  The shed was nearly down and the boys were drenched and the muck and water coming over their boots.  The river was rising at an alarming pace and was beginning to overflow and encroach on the property again.  The wells were beginning to cave in – something we were hoping would not happen.

For the efforts and headway we have made, we were taking steps backwards in other areas.  The mood was somber and Pradeep was silent.  He quietly said to me, "I am going to go now, I need to make my rounds."  I knew he would start where the worms once were to get the river to see how much time was left before mother nature decided whether or not she would spare him tonight.

 

Click here for the VSPCA Website: www.VisakhaSPCA.org

 

 

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