15 March 2000

Mozambique's floods a catastrophe for the region's animals

Mozambique's floods have resulted in a catastrophe of Biblical proportions for the region's animals, according to an animal disaster relief team from the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) which has just returned from making an assessment of the problems facing animals in the aftermath of this disaster.

WSPA estimates that there has been an almost total wipeout of all animals in the areas affected by flooding, with at least 150,000 animals believed to have died. Many cattle have drowned whilst still tethered and the tops of thorn trees have been littered with the bloated carcasses of livestock.

The WSPA team, comprising Garry Richardson, Regional Director for Africa, and Dr. Nick de Souza, Veterinary Field Officer, Kenya, met with government officials and travelled through the flood zone. Hundreds of survivors were interviewed by the team, but there was not a single person who had been able to save any of their animals. Instead, all had stories of how they had lost their animals, many seeing them swept away as the raging flood waters swept through their villages.

Miraculously, the WSPA team spotted several cows who had somehow survived the floods and were left tethered on a tiny patch of land in the middle of a vast lake of water. These cows were cut free and rescued from the flood zone.

Livestock plays an integral and important role in the region, not only being used for food, but also in farming the land and to trade for essential tools and implements. As insect populations explode in the post-flooding climate, surviving livestock populations are likely to be faced with diseases such as trypanosomiasis, anaplasmosis, babesiosis and a range of other infections resulting from drinking contaminated water.

Garry Richardson, WSPA's Regional Director for Africa, said "The virtual wipeout of animals in the low-lying flood hit areas, particularly livestock, will only add to the terrible misery which the people will face when the flood waters disperse and they go back to ruined crops and destroyed houses. Emergency veterinary supplies are vital if we are to avert a further catastrophe in the animal populations of the flood areas."

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Available on request:

• Colour transparencies.
• Interviews with WSPA staff.
  

Please contact:

Anne Lloyd-Jones, WSPA, on (02) 9901 5277 or 0404 066 498 during business hours, or e-mail annelj@wspa.org.au