Preparing to save animals in Madagascar

42 people are reported dead, 26 are still missing and 149,942 people have been affected. People were forced to evacuate their homes, leaving hundreds of animals with no one to fend for them.

Madagascar is prone to natural disasters with a quarter of the population living in areas highly prone to cyclones, floods or drought. This serves as consequence of deforestation that has made the ecosystem vulnerable to shocks and food security.

Livestock farming is the communities’ main source of livelihood, but with the current situation, people have been forced to seek alternatives like illegal wildlife trade and tree harvesting until the situation normalizes.

Beauty in the storm

Some of the world’s most unique wildlife is found in Madagascar. Actually, some ecologists referrer to this country as the “eighth continent.“

Despite this great potential, with a loss of 90% of its forestation, stronger disasters are expected hence endangering the life of these exotic wildlife.

Political instability, poverty and lack of access to basic services also contribute to weakening of systems that deal with disasters.

Government efforts

Amidst this tragedy, the government has managed to provide food, camp services, rehabilitation of roads and repairing of damaged bridges. However, animals are yet to receive the care they need, hence left at the risk of contracting terminal diseases.

Our response

We’ll have an on-ground team which will work together with a joint Animal SoS University Veterinary Students and Directorate of Veterinary Services for 6 days to;

• Provide feed to community focal points to feed community dogs and rescued animals.
• Treat injured or sick cattle, pigs, poultry and wild birds.
• Vaccinate sheltered animals

More to come

We’ll be keeping you posted as we receive new information from the ground. In the coming weeks, we’ll also share disaster packs for the animals you keep, protecting them in the event of a disaster.

Learn more about our disaster work