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Warning: Contains graphic descriptions of animals being killed and link to graphic visuals

Humane Society International / India

HSI

BIHAR, India—Animal charities Humane Society International/India, People for Animals, Sneha’s Care and the Federation of Animal Welfare of Nepal have condemned the mass animal sacrifice at the Gadhimai festival in Nepal as “an appalling bloodbath” and urged the Nepali government to take action to make this the last Gadhimai festival where animals are killed. HSI/India, PFA and the border police managed to confiscate and save from slaughter more than 750 animals being illegally transported across the border into Nepal from India.

Held every five years in Bariyarpur village in the Bara district of Nepal, the Gadhimai festival sees hundreds of thousands of animals killed. The killing began in the early hours of the morning on Dec. 8 when, according to entry receipts, 4,200 buffaloes were beheaded in the arena and thousands of goats, pigeons and more were killed outside. It ended today with the killing of thousands more goats, as part of an historic ritual to appease the goddess Gadhimai.

Humane Society International/India and People for Animals deployed teams to the Indo-Nepal border checkpoints more than a week prior to the sacrifice, to assist border police in intercepting and confiscating animals illegally transported for slaughter. Their combined efforts saved the lives of more than 750 animals―74 buffaloes, 347 goats, 328 pigeons and two chickens. The newborn and infant goats needing immediate or specialist treatment will receive life-long care at Happy Home Sanctuary run by HSI/India’s partners PFA Uttarakhand; permanent homes are being found for the buffaloes and chickens while the pigeons have been safely released back into the wild. Despite this, estimates from eyewitness accounts are that between 250,000 – 500,000 animals were slaughtered across the two days.

Arkaprava Bahar, Humane Society International/India’s senior manager of campaigns, who led animal rescue efforts at the border, said: “We rescued buffaloes from the back of trucks, goats smuggled in scarves on the back of motorbikes, chickens strung upside down by their feet on the side of vehicles and baskets and boxes of pigeons. The suffering these animals endure is so upsetting and so unnecessary. They have been put through exhausting journeys, many weak from lack of food, water and rest, only to be thrust into the mayhem of Gadhimai where all around them they see other animals being slaughtered. I’ve never seen anything as upsetting and disturbing as what I have witnessed at the Gadhimai sacrifice. The scale of the animal killing is unfathomable, there are animals being beheaded everywhere you look and pools of bright red blood on the ground wherever you tread. Animals such as buffaloes and goats are sensitive, sentient creatures very much aware of what’s happening around them. It must be a terrifying ordeal. This appalling bloodbath must end.

It’s some comfort to know that we and the border forces were able to save hundreds of precious animals from such cruelty. They will now live happy lives being cared for at partner shelters. Every buffalo, goat and pigeon we saved is precious, but we urge the government of Nepal to take decisive action to ensure that in future we have a bloodless Gadhimai.”

Prior to the border work, HSI/India and PFA held a press conference with spiritual teacher and author Acharya Prashant who encouraged devotees to celebrate the festival with compassion and to honour traditions without harming animals. Prashant said: “Devotion should inspire compassion, not cruelty. Slaughtering animals in the name of the divine diminishes the spirit of worship. Let us honour the Goddess by upholding the sanctity of all life during Gadhimai.”

HSI/India teams also conducted door-to-door awareness campaigns and distributed around 3,500 local language pamphlets in 12 villages near the Indo-Nepal border, urging devotees not to sacrifice their animals.

Sneha Shrestha, founder of Sneha’s Care and president of the Federation of Animal Welfare of Nepal, said: “The local government has been intimidating journalists, NGOs and anyone calling for a stop to the sacrifice, violating the rights to free communication. The local government along with the central government has also failed to support the campaign as promised. This year the festival management committee has increased the height of the wall around the compound area where the sacrifices take place and have deployed police forces around the compound. The government in Nepal has had five years to comply with the Supreme Court judgment banning sacrifice but it has failed to take any action and instead has promoted the sacrifice.”

HSI/India and PFA have been working since 2014 to stop animal sacrifice at Gadhimai. There were an estimated more than 500,000 animals killed in 2009 and around 250,000 animals in both 2014 and 2019.

Ahead of the 2024 sacrifice, the Gadhimai Temple urged devotees to bring animal sacrifice numbers back up to 500,000.

In 2014, the Supreme Court of India took a significant step to curb this practice by directing the Indian government to prevent the illegal transport of animals across the border into Nepal for sacrifice at Gadhimai. The court also called upon animal protection organizations, including HSI/India, PFA and others, to formulate an action plan to ensure its orders, which HSI/India has implemented ever since, were effectively enforced. Subsequently, in September 2019, the Supreme Court of Nepal ordered an end to live animal sacrifices at Gadhimai and urged authorities to create a plan to phase out this practice nationwide, but this has been widely ignored.

Facts:

  • The Gadhimai festival involves a month-long celebration or “mela,” culminating in the ritual slaughter of hundreds of thousands of animals.
  • Water buffalo, goats, chickens, pigs, ducks and rats are decapitated with blunt metal swords in an alcohol-fueled killing frenzy.
  • The majority of these animals are illegally transported from India into Nepal owing to porous borders.
  • This rule is being openly flouted as the majority of animals are transported illegally across the border without an export license.
  • Mass sacrifice events pose serious public health risks, exacerbated by the unsanitary conditions at the festival site. With no toilets for millions of pilgrims, the air is filled with the stench of feces, blood and death.
  • The origins of Gadhimai date back around 265 years, when the founder of the Gadhimai Temple, Bhagwan Chowdhary, had a dream that the goddess Gadhimai wanted blood in return for freeing him from prison, protecting him from evil and promising prosperity and power. The goddess asked for a human sacrifice, but Chowdhary offered an animal instead and this has been repeated every five years since.

Visuals:

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Media contacts:

  • Wendy Higgins, director of international media: whiggins@hsi.org
  • Shaili Shah, HSI/India media relations specialist: sshah@hsi.org; 99 3059 1005

Humane Society International / Canada

Ask Ontario’s Solicitor General to safeguard the remaining animals at Marineland

The teams are stationed at key checkpoints of Indo–Nepal border towns, assisting the border police

Humane Society International / India

Shaili Shah/HSI A goat rescued by HSI/India at the Indo-Nepal border checkpoint ahead of Nepal’s Gadhimai animal sacrifice festival 2024.

BIHAR, India—Ahead of the Gadhimai festival in Nepal, which is the largest mass animal sacrifice event in the world, animal protection organizations Humane Society International/India and People For Animals are urging devotees not to bring animals for sacrifice. HSI/India and PFA have deployed teams to assist the border police in their work prohibiting the illegal transport of animals across the Indo-Nepal border. HSI/India and PFA will work to ensure that confiscated animals are taken to safety in accordance with Indian law.

Held every five years in Bariyarpur village in the Bara district of Nepal, the Gadhimai festival sees hundreds of thousands of animals, including buffaloes, goats, pigeons and more, beheaded as part of an historic ritual to appease the goddess Gadhimai.

Arkaprava Bhar, HSI/India’s senior manager of campaign capacity building, who is leading on-ground efforts at the border, said: “Along with our colleagues from PFA, we are at the checkpoints around the borders and assisting law enforcement officials to ensure every animal we find brought for sacrifice is protected. Our mission is not just about stopping the illegal transport of animals but about standing up for compassion in our traditions. Under the leadership of border forces, we are conducting thorough vehicle checks to ensure that no animals are smuggled across. In the past few days, we’ve stopped trucks and vehicles carrying buffaloes and goats, all bound for the festival where they would have been beheaded had we not been there. They are the lucky ones, spared this terrifying ordeal. We will save as many lives as possible and spread the message to end blood sacrifice.”

A few days prior to the border work, the teams also conducted door-to-door awareness campaigns and distributed around 3,500 local language pamphlets in 12 villages near the Indo-Nepal border, urging devotees not to sacrifice their animals.

HSI/India and PFA have been working since 2014 to stop animal sacrifice at Gadhimai. Following persistent efforts, the gruesome animal sacrifices have declined from an estimated more than 500,000 animals killed in 2009 to around 250,000 animals in both 2014 and 2019 including an estimated 3,500 buffaloes.

In 2014, the Supreme Court of India took a significant step to curb this practice by directing the Indian government to prevent the illegal transport of animals across the border into Nepal for sacrifice at Gadhimai. The court also called upon animal protection organizations, including HSI/India, PFA and others, to formulate an action plan to ensure its orders, which HSI/India has implemented ever since, were effectively enforced. Subsequently, in September 2019, the Supreme Court of Nepal ordered an end to live animal sacrifices at Gadhimai and urged authorities to create a plan to phase out this practice nationwide, but this has been widely ignored.

Facts:

  • The Gadhimai festival involves a month-long celebration or “mela,” culminating in the ritual slaughter of hundreds of thousands of animals.
  • Water buffalo, goats, chickens, pigs, ducks and rats are decapitated with blunt metal swords in an alcohol-fueled killing frenzy.
  • The majority of these animals are illegally transported from India into Nepal owing to porous borders.
  • This rule is being openly flouted as the majority of animals are transported illegally across the border without an export license.
  • Mass sacrifice events pose serious public health risks, exacerbated by the unsanitary conditions at the festival site. With no toilets for millions of pilgrims, the air is filled with the stench of feces, blood and death.
  • The origins of Gadhimai date back around 265 years, when the founder of the Gadhimai Temple, Bhagwan Chowdhary, had a dream that the goddess Gadhimai wanted blood in return for freeing him from prison, protecting him from evil and promising prosperity and power. The goddess asked for a human sacrifice, but Chowdhary successfully offered an animal instead and this has been repeated every five years since.

HSI/India representatives are available for interview on request.

View photos/video of our 2024 Gadhimai border work. (To download these visuals, email whiggins@hsi.org.)

ENDS

Media contacts:

  • Wendy Higgins, director of international media: whiggins@hsi.org
  • Shaili Shah, HSI/India media relations specialist: 99 3059 1005; sshah@hsi.org

Animal protection organizations HSI/India and People For Animals, along with Acharya Prashant encouraged devotees not to transport animals illegally across Indo-Nepal border 

Humane Society International / India

HSI/India A press conference held in Patna ahead of the Gadhimai festival. While addressing the media, Alokparna Sengupta (MD, HSI/India); Acharya Prashant (founder PrashantAdvait Foundation), and Gauri Maulekhi (trustee, PFA) urged the devotees not to sacrifice animals during the Gadhimai festival this year.

PATNA, India— In a press conference held in Patna, spiritual teacher and author Acharya Prashant joined animal protection organizations Humane Society International/India and People For Animals, to urge devotees to refrain from sacrificing animals during the Gadhimai festival. The animal sacrifice event will take place between December 7th to 9th.  

Held every five years in the Bariyarpur district of Nepal, Gadhimai is the world’s largest animal sacrifice event, where thousands of animals—including buffalo, goats, pigs, pigeons and chickens—are beheaded as sacrifice to appease the goddess Gadhimai. A significant proportion of the animals killed at the festival are illegally transported into Nepal from India, with a large percentage coming from the state of Bihar. 

Prior to the press conference, representatives of both organizations along with Acharya Prashant met the chief secretary of Bihar to request a directive to police and law enforcement officials ensuring no illegal transport of animals and a statement urging devotees to refrain from animal sacrifice. Additionally, former Member of Parliament Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, Acharya ji, HSI/India and PFA wrote to the Government of Bihar urging preventive action.  

The organizations’ representatives quoted orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 881/2014 titled Gauri Maulekhi v. Union of India & Ors which acknowledged the smuggling of animals across the Indo-Nepal border and directed authorities to ensure that no live animals are exported out of India into Nepal, except under licence mandated by the Foreign Trade Act 1992.  

During the press conference, Acharya Prashant joined the animal welfare groups in encouraging devotees to celebrate the festival with compassion and to honour traditions without harming animals. “Devotion should inspire compassion, not cruelty. Slaughtering animals in the name of the divine diminishes the spirit of worship. Let us honour the Goddess by upholding the sanctity of all life during Gadhimai,” he said.  

Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, chairperson of People For Animals, added: “Protecting animals is not just about preventing suffering, it’s about fostering a society that values compassion and respect for all living beings. We must challenge outdated traditions and create new ways to celebrate festivals that honour life and not take it away.”       

To assist in the prevention of illegal border transportation of animals for mass sacrifice, teams from HSI/India and PFA will deploy at strategic border checkpoints to help the border police who will inspect vehicles crossing the border, register cases and confiscate animals.    

Alokparna Sengupta, Humane Society International/India’s managing director said: “Just as we did in 2014 and 2019, this year too we stand firmly against the cruelty of animal sacrifice, which is highly regressive and has no place in today’s society. We can honor traditions without the need for animal suffering, creating a better, kinder world for animals and people alike in the future.”  

HSI/India and PFA have been working since 2014 to stop animal sacrifice at the site. Following their combined persistent efforts, the gruesome animal sacrifices at Gadhimai have considerably reduced from an estimated more than 500,000 animals killed in 2009 to around 200,000 animals in 2014 and tens of thousands of animals in 2019 including an estimated 3,500 buffaloes. 

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Media contacts:

Humane Society International / Mexico

HSI

QUINTANA ROO, Mexico—Humane Society International/Mexico and IBANQROO (Institute for Animal Welfare of Quintana Roo) have collaborated to train 77 professionals—including veterinarians, biologists, authorities, and representatives of animal protection organizations—in disaster response and animal cruelty prevention in Quintana Roo. These training sessions, conducted across the southern and northern regions of the state, were designed to enhance attendees’ skills and preparedness in response to animal welfare emergencies.

The training sessions provided both theoretical and practical lessons, including CPR for dogs and cats, strategies for animal rescue during fire emergencies, and protocols for documenting animal cruelty cases. Underscoring the importance of interdisciplinary work and coordinated efforts, the program emphasized that rescue efforts must be carried out safely and with knowledge to avoid endangering rescuers, animals, or disturbing crime scenes.

Felipe Márquez, program manager for disaster response at HSI/Latin America, highlighted the significance of this interdisciplinary approach: “When responding to crises, it’s vital that every professional, from veterinarians to first responders, understands how to safely and effectively help animals without putting themselves at risk. This training not only equips them with life-saving skills but also fosters collaboration, which is essential for successful animal rescues in disaster situations.”

Claudia Edwards, director of programs at HSI/Mexico, added: “This training is crucial for ensuring that animals receive the help they need while maintaining safety and preserving evidence. It’s a step forward for animal protection in Quintana Roo.”

The Institute of Biodiversity and Protected Natural Areas of Quintana Roo is a leading institution committed to preserving the state’s biodiversity and ecosystems at a state level. Through a collaborative “one health” approach, IBANQROO partners with various sectors to establish and safeguard natural areas, promote environmental education and responsible stewardship, and advocate for animal protection and cruelty prevention. Since signing a collaboration agreement in 2018, HSI and IBANQROO have together conducted training programs, participated in the state’s Animal Welfare Council, responded to disaster situations, and supported educational and legislative efforts to advance animal welfare throughout the region.

View photos/b-roll. To download these visuals, email cbaer@humanesociety.org

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Media contact: Carson Baer, Media Relations Specialist; cbaer@humanesociety.org

Humane Society International / Global

Urge the government of Nepal to ban this cruelty before the next festival in December.

Humane Society International/Europe hails groundbreaking decision for animal protection in Romania

Humane Society International / Europe

HSI

BUCHAREST/BRUSSELS—Humane Society International/Europe is celebrating a monumental victory for animal protection in Romania today, as the Romanian Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to ban chinchilla and mink fur farming, the only two fur farm industries that exist in the country. This groundbreaking decision is the result of nearly two years of political debates and sustained campaigning by HSI/Europe’s Romania office and fellow animal groups. Romania now becomes the 22nd country in Europe and 16th EU Member State to ban fur farming, marking a significant milestone in HSI’s global campaign to end the cruel practice of breeding and killing animals for fur fashion.

Ruud Tombrock, executive director for HSI/Europe, said: “Today’s decision to ban fur farming is not only a landmark moment for animal protection in Romania, but also a pivotal step in the broader European effort to end one of the cruelest forms of exploitation of animals. As public concern for animal welfare grows across Europe, demonstrated by the overwhelming success of the Fur Free Europe ECI, it is clear that fur farming has no place in a compassionate and ethical society and the only way to move forward is by adopting an EU-wide ban on production of fur.”

The bill was originally proposed after HSI/Europe conducted a shocking undercover investigation exposing appalling conditions on fur farms in Romania. Chinchillas were filmed confined in small, filthy wire cages, only to be killed for fur fashion at just a few months old in improvised gas chambers or by having their necks broken. Now that the bill has been voted through in the Chamber of Deputies, once promulgated it will make fur farming illegal in Romania effective 1st of January 2027. Although the legislation must be promulgated by President Klaus Iohannis and published in the Official Journal to become effective, this is anticipated to pass without delay.

According to a nationwide survey commissioned by HSI/Europe, over 67% of Romanians support a fur farming ban, further emphasizing public sentiment against the fur industry. In addition, HSI/Europe’s campaign in Romania gathered more than 74,000 petition signatures in favor of ending fur farming, which HSI/Europe submitted to the Romanian Parliament.

The fur industry in Romania is in decline, with the number of fur farms having dropped dramatically from more than 150 in 2013 to around a dozen in 2022 including two large mink farms producing approximately 100,000 mink pelts and 15,000 chinchilla pelts annually. The ban in Romania also tackles the environmental and human health hazards linked to fur farming, including the spread of zoonotic diseases, positioning Romania within the broader European movement that emphasizes animal welfare and sustainable practices.

Fur facts:

  • Tens of millions of animals suffer and die each year in the global fur trade, the majority reared in barren battery cages on fur farms.
  • Fur farming has now been banned in 22 European countries—the 16 Member States of Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia plus Bosnia and Herzegovina, Guernsey, Norway, United Kingdom, North Macedonia and Serbia. In addition, Switzerland and Germany have implemented strict regulations which have effectively ended fur farming and Denmark, Sweden and Hungary have imposed measures that have ended the farming of certain species. Political discussion of a ban is underway in Bulgaria and Sweden.
  • Mink on almost 500 fur farms across 13 countries in Europe and North America have been found to be infected with COVID-19, and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) has been found on 72 fur farms (one in Spain, 71 in Finland) to date. Millions of mink, arctic fox, red fox, raccoon dogs and sable have been slaughtered on public health grounds.
  • Ten fashion brands in Romania have pledged to go fur-free after working with Humane Society International/Europe, and have become the first designers in Romania to join the global Fur Free Retailer Ioana Ciolacu, Muse um Concept, REDU, OCTAVIA CHIRU, Katerini, Hooldra, Feeric Fashion Week, Scapadona, Axente and Lenca join the almost 1,600 fashion brands, retailers and designers in 25 countries around the world that are part of the Fur Free Retailer program, including Gucci, Moncler, Prada, Adidas, H&M and Zara.

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View images/video are available here. To download these visuals, please contact commsromania@hsi.org

Media contact: Yavor Gechev: +359889468098; ygechev@hsi.org

Humane Society International / South Africa

Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals 

CAPE TOWN, South Africa—The Animal Law Project (ALP) proudly announces the release of its groundbreaking manifesto, “A Manifesto for Transforming Animal Protection in South Africa: A Constitutional Imperative” for public discussion, engagement and consultations. The Animal Law Project is a collaborative project initiated by Animal Law Reform South Africa (ALRSA), Humane Society International/Africa (HSI/Africa), (as well as the South African Institute for Advanced Constitutional, Public, Human Rights and International Law (SAIFAC), a centre of the University of Johannesburg) in 2022.

The Manifesto was developed after extensive consultations with the animal protection sector, other stakeholders including experts, veterinarians, academics, civil society organisations as well as discussions with government. It calls for an overhaul of the legal framework governing animals, most notably, reform of the outdated Animals Protection Act, which has remained largely unchanged for over 60 years, pre-dating South Africa’s constitutional democracy.

As South Africa celebrates 30 years of democracy, it is crucial to acknowledge that while strides have been made in pursuing social justice for humans, animals have largely been left behind. Despite expanding scientific consensus about non-human animal sentience (the ability to experience both positive and negative states of being), other extensive and complex animal capacities, and the weight of moral concern around animal suffering, it is arguably one of the worst times in history to be an animal. South Africa, known for its rich biodiversity, must now strive for social justice that includes all species.

In a landmark 2016 decision, the Constitutional Court of South Africa recognised animal welfare as a deep principle of the Constitution. The court acknowledged the sentience of animals and emphasized the intrinsic value of animals as individuals, shifting the focus from merely safeguarding human moral status to robust protection of animal welfare. Despite this recognition, there have been few changes to the administration of animal protection, leaving animals vulnerable to countless harmful and cruel practices.

Hundreds of millions of animals in various sectors endure ongoing and extreme suffering in South Africa:

  • Over 1.1 billion land animals are produced and killed for food annually, with chickens making up the majority at over 950 million. The consumption of other animals such as cows, pigs, sheep, goats, rabbits, aquatic animals and even insects are also on the rise. Farmed animals often endure extensive harm, including close confinement, mutilation, forced pregnancies, and unnatural diets. Practices such as long-distance sea transport and mass killings during crises have exacerbated the situation.
  • Wild animals are commodified as “faunal biological resources” under an interpretation of “sustainable use,” often resulting in their exploitation. Wildlife “farming”, often seen as a conservation success, prioritizes economic gains over true conservation. Harmful practices like canned hunting, poaching, and trophy hunting are prevalent, and both legal and illegal practices lead to the systemic killing of animals.
  • Aquatic animals and invertebrates are often not recognised as animals, with their deaths being measured in tonnage rather than individually, and their suffering ignored entirely.
  • Laboratory animals are subjected to inhumane testing, often for trivial or unnecessary purposes, such as the development of cosmetic products. The animal testing industry is characterised by inadequate regulation and oversight.
  • Companion animals continue to suffer from homelessness, malnutrition, illness and abuse, with free-roaming populations facing unmanaged breeding and mass killings in shelters.
  • Animals are also exploited in entertainment, tourism, and various economic activities, often suffering from neglect.

The previous Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development (DALRRD) has expressed the intention to draft a new Animal Welfare Bill. The ALP, initiated to address the gap that exist and to advocate for a just legal regime for animals in South Africa, by informing this legislative process with modern and constitutionally aligned animal protection proposals.

This newly released manifesto has drawn from stakeholder feedback from various sectors, including civil society organizations, human rights groups, the legal fraternity, environmental and conservation sectors, academics, veterinarians, and students.

The manifesto, available for public comment and feedback, consists of three parts:

  • Part I: Introducing the background, impetus, and scope of the ALP, summarizing the extensive consultations, and the manifesto’s purpose.
  • Part II: Providing a high-level problem statement, highlighting the deficiencies in current animal regulatory regime and institutions, reviewing international developments and introducing the concept of constitutional misalignment.
  • Part III: Presenting tangible proposals for transforming animal protection in South Africa, detailing foundational values, guiding principles, and enabling mechanisms. The three foundational values proposed are constitutional alignment, sentience, and intrinsic value. The ten guiding principles include animal flourishing, vulnerability, ubuntu, public interest, least harm and proportionality, justifiability, duty of care, non-arbitrariness, knowledge, and internationality.  The enabling mechanisms draw on existing South African and foreign precedent and best practice as well as commonly accepted tenets of good governance.

The ALP calls on the public, policymakers, and all stakeholders to engage with the manifesto and contribute to shape a future where the protection of animals is understood and realised as a matter of social justice and a constitutional imperative in South Africa.

Along with the launch of the manifesto, the ALP hosted a thought-provoking photographic exhibition in Cape Town and Johannesburg, featuring the work of renowned photojournalist Jo-Anne McArthur, alongside local artists from We Animals Media and South African activists. The exhibition, “Justice for Animals? The lived reality of animals in the 21st century” showcases the ongoing suffering of animals identified in the manifesto and aims to evoke a deeper understanding and empathy for the plight of animals.

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Media contacts:

Humane Society International / Mexico

AP Images for HSI

MEXICO CITY, Mexico—Thanks to a collaboration between Mexico City’s Secretariat of Disaster Risk Management and Civil Protection and Humane Society International/Mexico, over 100 officials from various municipalities—including firefighters, members of search and rescue units, and community brigade personnel—received training on handling animals in crisis. The training, offered throughout 2024, focused on disaster response and pet first aid, covering topics such as CPR and respiratory emergency care.  

“Mexico City is an important geographic priority for civil protection efforts to prepare the population for a disaster, and now animals are being included in these exercises,” said Felipe Márquez, program manager, disaster response, of Humane Society International/Latin America. 

HSI/Mexico has regularly collaborated with the authorities of Mexico City, particularly after the earthquake of September 19, 2017, when the organization provided help to more than 6,200 animals through emergency veterinary clinics. “Mexico City is highly vulnerable to disasters, as we were reminded by the earthquakes in 1985 and 2017, which resulted in a significant number of fatalities and injuries,” said Marquez. 

Mexico is one of the countries in the world with the greatest telluric (subsurface electrical) activity. According to statistics, more than 90 earthquakes are recorded per year with a magnitude greater than 4 degrees on the Richter scale, which is equivalent to 60% of all telluric movements that are recorded in the world. 

Strengthening local capacities is a key focus for HSI/Mexico, which seeks to build a culture of prevention that includes animals in disaster planning. This involves coordinated efforts to set up temporary shelters where people can safely stay with their pets during emergencies. 

“From February to August, we have provided four training sessions for over 100 officials from different departments in Mexico City. The reception has been very positive, with attendees noting that the topics covered are highly relevant to their daily work and crucial for managing the impact of disasters,” says Márquez. 

Coordination between the non-governmental organization and government authorities allows for greater response capacity in the face of the current hurricane season, as well as in the event of any eventual emergency in Mexico City and the rest of the country.

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Media contact: Magaly Garibay, mgaribay@idee.agencia; (+52 55) 5211 873, ext. 104

Humane Society International / India

HSI

WAYANAD, Kerala—Humane Society International/India is on the ground in Kerala, southwest India, providing critical emergency relief to hundreds of animals affected by the devastating landslides and floods that hit Wayanad on July 30. The landslides, which have so far resulted in more than 350 human deaths with several hundred more people still missing, have also left hundreds of animals including dogs, cats and cattle trapped, stranded, injured and in desperate need of food or veterinary attention.

HSI/India has deployed its animal rescue team to aid relief efforts, including the distribution of 200kgs of emergency animal feed to stranded cattle, as well as medical and veterinary supplies, additional food and water rations, and providing shelter for animals.

HSI/India is working in coordination with official rescue teams, veterinary authorities and other local NGOs, and will expand relief efforts over the next few days to provide aid to more animals in two districts including Mundakkai and Chooralmala.

Praveen Suresh, HSI/India’s program manager of disaster response is on the ground and said: “Hundreds of animals are at risk in Wayanad’s Mundakkai and Chooralmala districts. The range of destruction caused by the series of landslides is something we did not expect to see. We are working around the clock to provide relief to every animal in need we come across. We also plan to strengthen our strategy which was focused on Wayanad for long term intervention for disaster risk reduction in the region.”

HSI/India has been actively working in Wayanad district of Kerala to build a disaster-resilient district for both humans and animals, and conducted flood preparedness trainings with communities and government to safeguard animals and their families during disasters like floods and landslides.

Download visuals from HSI/India’s deployment here

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Media contact: Shaili Shah,  sshah@hsi.org; +91 9930591005

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