A Handbook on Management of Animals in Disaster in India
Any emergency situation warrants extraordinary response in an area. This emergency arises due to a disaster which maybe natural or man-made. Though natural disaster accounts for 80% in the world, India experiences all types of natural disaster, except volcanic activity (Ganguli et al., 1993). The frequency of droughts, floods, earthquakes and cyclones are increasing every year. The northern mountain regions are prone to snow storms, the gangetic plains to floods, the deccan plateau to drought, erratic rainfall and earthquakes of varying intensity; the western desert to limited unreliable rainfall and drought and the coastal areas to sea erosion, cyclones, and tidal waves (Unnikrishnan and Malavika, 1998). Manmade disaster may not harm the animal directly but may threaten in situation like bomb explosion, pollution, industrialization or destruction of the natural habitat. Disasters are not the same as the impact and consequences vary from region to region and from community to community. During disaster, people lose their property and livelihood which take time to recoup. Any form of disaster impacts the weaker sections of the community especially in developing countries as their dependence on animals for livelihood are huge. India has 70% of the livestock owned by 67% of small and marginal farmers and by the landless labours. Though animal stand better chance of survival in an event of a disaster, very less effort have been made in this direction. Likewise, the problem is even grave when animals do not figure anywhere in preparedness, mitigation or
A Handbook on Management of Animals in Disaster
