Country’s first shelter disaster management cell for animals

The WSPA held a two-day mock drill over last weekend,to train hospital staff,doctors and ward boys in handling disaster. Ian Dacre,director,disaster management WSPA,who was visiting Mumbai to set up the unit,said,“This was the first of our workshop. We held a basic drill to equip hospital staff on how to rescue and move small as well as large animals with least stress and how to look after them during an emergency. Soon we’ll be doing more sessions,which will put the hospital on top of animal rescue activities.”

On Sunday,50 member societies of WSPA from across the country visited Mumbai,to participate in the drill.

Lt Col (Retd) Dr J C Khanna,secretary of BSPCA said,“Our hospital grounds are vast which the WSPA officials believe is in our advantage. According to them even the animal hospital campus in the US is not as large as ours. Recently,they funded us to purchase several disaster management equipment including generator,fire extinguisher,fire fighting machines and large storage bins. Their next step was to organise the mock drill.”

The drill included demonstrations by the fire brigade team to rescue animals in case of fire,evacuation of cats,dogs,birds as well as larger animals like horses,cattle and donkeys,ambulance rescues,and also a drill on rescuing sick or stranded employees. “The idea was to make each and everyone in hospital prepared to face floods,fire or house collapse,” Khanna stated.

WSPA had backed SPCA during the 2005 floods when the hospital carried out several vaccination,treatment,and rescuing activities across the city.