Guwahati, 15th December 2013: The International Fund for Animal Welfare – Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI) in collaboration with Assam Forest Department is organising a four day ‘Disaster Relief Workshop and ERN meet’ for animal rescuers and rehabilitators from across the country, beginning today. 

“Preparation, and quick and coordinated action are key priorities to save lives during disasters, whether for humans or animals,” said Shannon Walajtys, Animal Rescue Manager, Disaster Response & Risk Reduction (DRRR), IFAW.

“This workshop will not just train rehabilitators individually but will also strengthen the fraternity to mobilise coordinated action during disasters,”- she also added.

The ERN is an IFAW-WTI initiative to bring on one common platform, the animal rescuers working for India’s wildlife and domestic animals. A total of 40 participants from Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi, Gujrat, and Kerala are attending this workshop in Guwahati.

The four days will see participants discuss disaster scenarios in India such as floods, earthquake, storms, and others, disaster management, assessment, response and recovery along with other wildlife rescue issues.

These will be followed by practical hands-on exercises, led by the technical rescue experts of IFAW – which include rope rescue to remove an injured animal from a tree or high structure and low angle rope rescue such as pulling animals out of deep pits, etc. Water rescue techniques will include ferrying responders and equipment across water bodies.

A similar workshop was held in Odisha for 30 odd participants last week.

IFAW-WTI is committed to building local animal rescue capacity by supporting the development and implementation of standardised protocols and training throughout the ERN.