In the aftermath of the earthquake in Sulawesi at the end of September, a volunteer vet with our team in Indonesia, Paula Delignies Calderon from Spain, travelled to the disaster area to help treat sick and injured animals.
She was only able to stay for nine days but nevertheless managed to treat about 100 animals and sterilise another 40. There were a lot of animals with fractures. The commotion and chaos of falling buildings had driven them to jump out of windows or off ledges. The rescuers didn’t have the means to do operations so had to refer animals requiring surgery to other clinics. Paula also encountered many cases of infectious diseases which spread swiftly among animals suffering from stress and malnutrition.
A large number of animals had also undergone behavioural changes because of the trauma they had suffered, leaving them extremely nervous, fearful and displaying compulsive behaviours. Even now, more than two months after the crisis, wounded animals are being found in the affected areas. Our colleagues from the Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN) are still in the area, feeding animals on the street and doing all they can to help them. An improvised clinic with basic equipment has now been set up to meet the ongoing need. Huge thanks to everyone who has been working round the clock to help these stricken animals.