It seems that in Dujiangyiang, an area badly affected by the quake, the authorities have responded favourably to our offer of helping to provide rabies vaccinations for people and dogs in the community as there have been a number of dog-bite cases.
This is considered a constructive, sensitive way of ultimately helping more dogs (and cats) by offering tangible help for the population of survivors by sourcing and bringing in the vaccines as a matter of urgency. It will also provide an opportunity of assessing the situation on the ground and open doors for more dialogue on how we can help the community and the dogs and cats affected in the quake.
Animals Asia’s Christie and Rainbow are going to Dujiangyiang tomorrow (Friday) to meet with the authorities there to work out the details.
The human rabies vaccinations cost RMB68 for a full course of five and we’re intending to offer 500 for now for the people and the same for the dogs and assessing as it goes on. The human vaccinations will be both pre-exposure and post-exposure.
In addition we are putting together a rabies fact sheet in Chinese to distribute to the public at the same time we administer the vaccinations. We’re also adding information about how dogs are so useful in an earthquake, sniffing out survivors and of course offering comfort.
On a more immediate level, we are helping a local animal rescue centre that is facing a food shortage. Qiao Wei and Qiao Na, who run the Qi Ming Pet Rescue Centre in Chengdu have been overwhelmed with the number of dogs brought in and desperately need more food.
We are liaising with a pet food company that has agreed to donate five 15kg bags of dog food and we will buy more as needed. The Humane Society International and Gil Michaels, who is founder/president of the Compassion for Animals Foundation in the US have very kindly offered us funding for this.
The pet food company has also offered to team up with us to help starving dogs and cats in the disaster area so we are urgently looking into how best we can do this.
We’re also hoping to arrange a meeting for tomorrow (Friday) with various people, including the Hong Kong SPCA who flew in on Tuesday to liaise with the local dog and cat groups.
As to the dog cull in Qingchuan, Animals Asia and a number of local animal welfare groups are jointly sending a letter to the county authorities pleading with them to spare those dogs that still have families in recognition of how these animals can provide much help and comfort at a time like this.
Evidence across the world shows that dogs can perform beneficial roles during disaster situations such as earthquakes. They lead rescue workers to survivors (pet dogs will often be seen barking and whining at areas where their families have been trapped), they will catch rats responsible for spreading disease and provide emotional support for those saddened or bereaved.
We are also offering to supply the authorities in Qingchuan with vaccinations for rabies and other diseases in a further effort to show them that the family dogs would be protected and not a risk to the public. We hope that they may see these gestures as a better option than culling.
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This morning (Wednesday) was quiet, but raining, and must have been so miserable for the people at the centre of the quake. It’s a relief to report that everyone here at the sanctuary is still safe and sound and coping with minimum staff. No one wants to be away off site, of course, but all have been incredibly understanding as to why everything can be more safely managed when so much uncertainty is around.
The sanctuary was built from the outset to deal with floods of two metres originating from the Pi River, which runs through our land, especially during the rainy seasons from June to August. In a 58-year history, only one flood has reached that height.
The earthquake is a different situation altogether with many dams upstream cracked and vulnerable. We are hearing regular reports that the Government is working at full capacity to deal with this as literally millions of lives are at stake in the whole of the Sichuan basin.
Reassuringly, we were visited by British Embassy personnel today offering consular services and some helpful updates, specifically that the Zhipingpu Dam appears to be safe. This is the second similar confirmation in 12 hours and is helping to lessen the strain.
We have also heard from Rainbow’s Uncle, Mr Hong Shi Zhong - Council Member of the Sichuan Seismology Association and Research Professor of Chengdu Bureau of Earthquake Prevention and Disaster Control (and previously Vice Director-General of Chengdu City Seismological Bureau) who has also provided assurances today that the situation regarding further quakes is looking much less worrying than originally believed. People everywhere in Sichuan really need this news after coping with so much - we pray that it’s true.
Nevertheless, we have suggested that staff off site remain away until Thursday night unless more aftershocks are felt and the British Embassy agrees this is sensible. They also advised that aftershocks could be felt for anything up to two months following the quake on the 12th.
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Thanks so much for your concern about the bears that may be stranded on abandoned farms in the areas effected by the recent earthquake. We too are very concerned about these bears and have been in touch with the authorities in these areas. We have already made it clear that we are ready and willing to accept all bears recovered from the farms.
Unfortunately, the locations of these farms are in the most severely affected areas and while rescuers are racing to evacuate people from these areas, access inwards is restricted and therefore we cannot physically go and see for ourselves.
However, Toby our General Manager at the rescue centre, is in constant contact with the authorities and working to get any information available. It is a difficult time at the moment as the local authorities are obviously stretched to their limit, but we hope eventually to get access to assess the situation and recover the bears.
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Hi everyone, I’m sure Jill won’t mind me hijacking her blog to let you know that nearly all the foreign staff and some local staff have now been evacuated and are heading to Chongqing on our coach.
It is 5pm China time and so far there has been no sign of the quake that was predicted. A skeleton staff is still at the sanctuary and all the bears, dogs and cats are being well looked after. In fact, Jill and the team are just heading out to give them their dinner!
Thanks so much for all your prayers and messages of support.
Angela Leary
Media Manager
Animals Asia
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At the request of a number of foreign embassies, we are starting to evacuate foreign staff from the Moon Bear Rescue Centre in Chengdu – it is now 1.30pm on Tuesday and we have been told that another earthquake could hit Chengdu by 4pm.
We are loading the bus and heading to Chongqing and Toby and I are talking to local staff trying to get as many of them as possible to get on the bus, but right now they are saying they want to stay as their families are here in Chengdu. Toby, Heather and I are staying, and we will see how best we can help the rest of the staff.
Our biggest concern is flooding should the nearby Zhipingpu Dam break.
Please keep checking back here for updates.
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