In these best of times and worst of times

The flood crisis seems to have brought out the best in some people who have donated time, money and necessary supplies to victims of the floods.

Kind people have also donated to the dogs and cats left homeless by the terrible waters. In addition, rescue organisations have formed “coalitions” to combine their resources to help the unprecedented number of animals requiring help.

TREAT (Treat with Empathy and Responsibility all Animals in Thailand) has combined their veterinary and support staff with the Soi Dog Foundation, Wildlife Friends of Thailand, the National Elephant Park and Scad.

Tharinee Wipuchanin of rescue network Pic-A-Pet4Home has also joined forces with this coalition.

    Apart from animals rescued by other organisations as well as by individuals, more than 1,000 dogs and cats have been pulled out of the water and moved to safer quarters.

    These quarters are only a short-term solution. Rescuers hope that people can provide temporary foster homes for the animals while people willing to adopt one or two animals (or even more, depending on your resources) can be found.

     In the midst of all this hard work and heartbreak, victims have witnessed the worst of human nature as well. Thieves taking advantage of people forced to flee their homes have stolen anything they could from the deserted homes. Some people have abandoned their animals to certain death, leaving sick and injured animals to drown in the rising waters.

Stress has also played a great part in how people handle the unprecedented flooding. Just a few days ago, the folks at Channel 3, checking out flooded areas at Ramintra, found a dog swimming desperately in the water. He was badly wounded, with injuries on his back and one leg, as if someone had attacked him with a machete.

He was a community dog, an animal fed by all but owned by none, and no one felt they could afford the vet bills for treating his badly bleeding wounds.

Yet by the time the Channel 3 people got him to a vet, he had a name – Ju-Yang (from a Korean soap opera, I’m told), and he had charmed everyone in the boat.

When I dropped by to visit him today, the deep wounds on Ju-Yang’s back and leg were healing well, but he was also moaning hopelessly.

“Is he in pain?” I asked.

“No,” an assistant smiled. “He just wants to go home.”

The Channel 3 people think a drunken man attacked him, but who knows? In these stressful times, people are capable of great acts of kindness – or of mindless viciousness.

 

        Lending a helping hand

_ For more information on how you can help displaced dogs and cats, you can call Tharinee Wipuchanin at (089) 669 1690 or (081) 451 2233 ([email protected])

You can also check out:

_ Soi Dog Foundation: www.SoiDog.org/en/flood-relief

_ Wildlife Friends Foundation: www.WFFT.org

_ SCAD Foundation: www.SCADBangkok.org

_ Elephant Nature Park: www.ElephantNaturePark.org