Environment
Rescuing livestock in natural disasters
  • By Thao Nguyen | dtinews.vn | December 01, 2014 03:31 PM
Providing rescue and support services to livestock can help save the lives of both animals and people, and help populations recover more quickly afterwards.

When it comes to natural disaster rescue and support services, one usually thinks of human populations. However, according to World Animal Protection (WAP), rescuing livestock can be very important, especially to poor households where livestock is often the biggest asset. 

 

New focus on saving animals in disasters (Illustrative photo)

WAP recently coordinated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Department of Animal Husbandry to hold a six-day training course called Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards (LEGS) in Hanoi. The course was aimed at training 15 Vietnamese and three foreign lecturers to teach preparedness for the rescue of livestock in natural disasters.

Ha Cam Tam, WAP’s programme director said that in several cases, people have refused to go with rescuers to safer places because they wanted to stay and protect their livestock.

“Vietnam is an agricultural country where tens of millions of people make their living by farming, and for millions of Vietnamese, animal husbandry is their livelihood. So, rescuing livestock translates into saving both people and animals,” Tam emphasised.

Since 2009, WAP has coordinated with the Animal Husbandry Department to organise nine LEGS training courses for over 200 trainers in 63 cities and provinces nationwide. Efforts have also been made to protect bears and prevent rabies.

“In the past, Vietnam did not pay enough attention to the rescue of animals in natural disasters. This is a really new issue in the country. WAP’s work on this issue is significant, especially in the context of climate change,” said Hoang Thanh Van, director of the Department of Animal Husbandry.

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