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Animal rights advocates were on ground zero saving animals abandoned during the severe flooding in Kerala, India.
Relentless monsoon rains had led to what people called the worst flood in Kerala in the last hundred years. Forty-four rivers run through the state, making it susceptible to flooding.
In the course of the calamity, floods and landslides destroyed several homes, displaced families, and claimed many lives in the state. Kerala’s most devastated regions were the municipalities of Nilambur and Tirur, which are known tourist destinations.
In light of the disaster, Humane Society International (HSI), a global organization that protects animals, dispatched six teams to search and rescue deserted animals in the most affected zones. HSI worked with India’s National Disaster Response Force and government veterinary hospitals to provide food, shelter, and necessary care for injured animals.
Hundreds of volunteers and animal rights advocates braved the flood to carry out one of the biggest animal rescue operations the country has ever seen. Rescuers saved a variety of animals such as house pets, livestock, and even some wild animals like snakes.
During the rescue operations, the volunteers met Sunitha, a Kerala woman who refused to be evacuated without her 25 dogs. The woman was unwilling to leave the dogs, fearing that the animals would drown. Sunitha was only convinced to leave her flooded home after communicating with HSI volunteers, who promised to go to her house and save the dogs. Volunteers later found the dogs taking refuge on top of beds inside the house. The animals were eventually evacuated with Sunitha and her husband in a rehabilitation camp.