Istanbul/Vienna, 21. February 2023 – After two devastating earthquakes struck the region of Southern Türkiye and Northern Syria, global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS has made all its capacities available to three of the most affected provinces in Türkiye – Hatay, Osmaniye and Malatya, for urgent help of animals.

Turkish partner organisation, HayTap, has been working tirelessly since the disaster happened, pulling animals out of debris and delivery of first aid on-site in designated field tents for medical treatments. Around 1000 animals were already saved due to their immediate response.

FOUR PAWS Disaster Relief expert, Dr Jackson Zee, estimates a maximum of ten days within animals can still be rescued alive until the vital window closes forever. FOUR PAWS has been active in areas affected by natural disasters for almost ten years now.

Dr Jackson Zee, who leads the FOUR PAWS Disaster Preparedness and Resilience program (DPRP) says: “I have witnessed a lot of natural disasters but these two major earthquakes from last week stand out in their impact on living creatures in the region. Our efforts have to be immediate and effective but also sensitively applied as the humanitarian crisis has not subsided. Our main goal now is to support our partners with everything we can deliver, logistics, financial aid, and expertise. A lot of animals, including dogs, cows but also birds and sheep could already be re-united with their owners. Others, which tragically lost their owners are brought to shelters in bigger cities such as Istanbul and Ankara. It is a race against time, and every minute counts.”

The devastating eruptions that have shaken the Anatolian plate underneath the border of Türkiye to Syria and tragically caused over 46,000 human casualties, had a devastating impact on all of society. The reconstruction works are estimated to take years if not a decade.

Along with supporting HayTap’s search and rescue activities, the help FOUR PAWS provides entails costs for veterinary treatments and supplies, first aid, and feeding, as well as providing safe temporary homes for the animals in need until a long-term solution is found.

Background

FOUR PAWS has a long-track record of successfully helping animals that are in need due to disasters hit areas all around the world. With a designated team around Dr Jackson Zee, Disaster Preparedness and Resilience program (DPRP) operates in regions that have been hit by natural disasters such as flooding, earthquakes or droughts.

Often these emergency missions are undertaken with local organisations. In India FOUR PAWS has a close cooperation with Blue Cross of India (BCI) for almost ten years. Prior to the pandemic Australia was hit by devastating bushfires in 2019 that claimed over a billion lives of precious wild animals in which FOUR PAWS helped to raise funds and supported local organisations in the aftermath.

Also in 2019 a transport vessel carrying over 14,000 sheep capsized off the coast of Romania. FOUR PAWS immediately stood ground to rescue the lives of at least 250 animals from drowning.

When the volcano Taal erupted on Luzon Island, Philippines, in 2020 sending ash clouds hundreds of meters into the air, forcing locals to leave their belongings behind, FOUR PAWS provided over 1,000 kg of food and medicine for local animals.

In 2018 Florida was hit by massive hurricane Florence that caused severe floodings with thousands of residents that had to flee their homes with many leaving their animals behind. DPRP assisted with the provision of animal food and supplies.

DPRP will keep on with its precious work in areas that were struck by natural disasters, making sure that no animal is left behind.