LONDON, May 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The World Society for the
Protection of Animals (WSPA) today predicted that the parallel impact of
the Myanmar disaster on animals and the subsequent affect on people will be
catastrophic.
Based on UN and Myanmar Government rapid assessment figures, the WSPA
estimates that as many as 48 million animals may have been wiped out by the
cyclone - a figure equivalent to the entire human population of the
country. The surviving animals will become increasingly susceptible to
starvation and disease as their immune systems become lowered, and
diarrhoea will quickly become prevalent and will increase the risk of cross
infection. All this puts the human population at risk as many of the
animals are living alongside people in unsanitary and disease prone
environments. The death of any animal will also threaten the livelihood of
its owner, which will lead to further psychological and financial stress.
The WSPA's Director of Disaster Management, Philip Russell MBE, said:
"The death of such huge numbers of animals will be catastrophic for the
human population. The survival of animals will help the devastated human
population survive and recover more quickly. As the human impact of the
disaster grows daily, we all desperately hope to see more aid reaching
people soon. Access for our disaster relief and recovery veterinarians is
imperative when animals are suffering and in need of food, shelter and
veterinary care."
In addition, the disaster has killed large numbers - one in five - of
draught animals needed to plough the rice fields that would feed the
population for the coming year. The WSPA estimates the long-term impact of
losing draught cattle and buffalo is that thousands of hectares of land
will be left unploughed, leaving millions of people at risk of ruin and
starvation.
To minimise this impending second disaster, WSPA's Emergency Response
Team for Asia, based in Bangkok, is poised to enter Myanmar at the request
of the UN to help the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to assess the
scale of the problem and the necessary steps that should be taken to
alleviate further suffering through immediate relief aid for animals as
well as a longer-term recovery plan for Myanmar.
For more information or to make a donation to help animals and the
people who depend on them in Myanmar, please visit: http://www.wspa-usa.org.
SOURCE World Society for the Protection of Animals
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Related links:
http://www.wspa-usa.org
CONTACT:
Barbara Castleman, WSPA Boston office,
+1-617-896-9291, bcastleman@wspausa.org, or Sarah Pickering, WSPA
London Headquarters, (011) 44 20 7587 5048, (011) 44 7801 386670,
sarahpickering@wspa-international.org
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