-
People walk on the damaged streets of Port-au-Prince following the massive earthquake - Source: Reuters -
Related
A union of animal protection groups has arrived in Haiti to aid animals left abandoned by the devastating earthquake.
The Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti (ARCH) was formed specifically to deal with the Haiti crisis and is led by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
The team is meeting with Haitian government officials and the UN to discuss the country's most pressing animal-related problems.
They will look at a long-term plan which includes options for creating and improving veterinary care, a large scale vaccination program and animal population control services.
"The condition of these animals before the earthquake was not good, so we can't just simply put things back as they were," says Ian Robinson, IFAW's Director of Emergency Relief.
"We need to deliver immediate relief to animals and to develop long-term plans for a lasting good."
The Haitian Minister of Environment, Jean Marie Claude Germain, says they had not considered animals in the plans so far but after meeting the ARCH team see the need to do so.
Only about 100,000 Haitian dogs out of an estimated 500,000 were vaccinated against rabies last year. The government also lacks sufficient medicine and vaccines to protect pigs, cattle and livestock against disease.
The first shipment of medicine and equipment was expected to arrive in Port au Prince from the Dominican Republic on Wednesday.
World News Video
-
Dangerous rush to Everest summit (1:59)
-
Dozens killed in Syrian massacre (2:09)
-
'King of Romance' competes in Eurovision (1:46)
