Kerala sets up control room to ensure safety of animals stranded in landslides

After giving necessary treatment to the injured animals, the Animal Welfare Department will hand them over to dairy farmers in the nearby areas who are willing to take them over.

In Short

• Control room set up in Chooralmala in Wayanad district
• Names of dairy farmers receiving animals to be recorded
• Animals found dead or alive to be brought to control room first

In the aftermath of the devastating landslides in Wayanad earlier this week, the Kerala government has set up a 24-hour control room at Chooralmala for domestic animals.

These animals, including livestock, stranded in landslides will no longer be orphans, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

After giving necessary treatment to the injured animals, the Animal Welfare Department will hand them over to dairy farmers in the nearby areas who are willing to take them over, officials said.

The Animal Welfare Department's 24-hour control room at Chooralmala will be at the helm of operations. The names of the dairy farmers receiving the animals will be accurately recorded as well.

At present, the animals are provided food and water through NGOs and volunteers. On Friday, two small dogs recovered from the Chooralmala disaster site were handed over to the military and police special defence group.

Domestic animals and birds found alive and dead in disaster-affected places, including Chooralmala and Mundakai will be brought to the control room and further action will be taken.

Meanwhile, the team consisting of veterinary doctors and field officers is working in two batches. District Officer of Animal Husbandry Department Dr Rajesh said that with the help of the fire department, the doctor and the field officer are keeping the small animals in cages and ferrying big animals in an ambulance to the panchayat hospital in Meppadi.

Arrangements have also been made to destroy animal body parts obtained from the incident site at Mepadi.