Blog with us about the GPDRR13

Helping animals helps people

Thanks to WSPA for blogging with us! In addition to the main events at the Global Platform will, there are over 20 side events, including one about animals, taking place between 1-3pm everyday. Learn more about the side events here: http://www.preventionweb.net/globalplatform/2013/programme/sideevent

Photo: WSPA’s Dr. Akash Maheshwari checks a young buffalo’s health signs as her owner keeps a reassuring hand on her neck. WSPA was visiting one of the cattle camps set up by the government to help cope with the drought in the Maharashtra region of India earlier this year (© WSPA/Simon de Trey-White)

With the vast majority of the world’s poor heavily reliant on animals for their livelihoods and food security, protecting animals must be an integral part of any effective disaster response.

That’s why, at the World Society for the Protection of Animals, we've been helping people to help animals in disasters for over 50 years.

When the Mexican state of Chihuahua experienced devastating floods last year, we partnered with the Aldama District Municipality to deliver an innovative and effective response which responded to the needs of both the animals and people that had been affected.

Together, with the help of local families, we constructed specially modified ‘sand dams’ to collect rain water run-off, which was used to sustain the communities’ livestock as well as the surrounding pastureland. We also planted indigenous cacti to provide an emergency animal food source in times of drought. These inventive solutions have helped to build long-term community resilience and given families the chance to rebuild their economies and plan for the future.

To find out more about the importance of including animals as part of a holistic disaster response effort, come along to the side event we’re holding in partnership with the Aldama Municipality of Chihuahua.

Follow us on Twitter for live updates from the event @wspa