KC-DART joins ARCH Haiti animal aid, (c) Kinship Circle

Man with chicken in Port au Prince ruins, Kinship Circle

Outcasts.

LocationPort-au-Prince, outlying rural regions
Field LogARCH SitReps, Kinship Circle Log Jan-Feb
About PhotosHaiti images are the copyright of ARCH member groups and represent the joint effort of Animal Relief Coalition For Haiti. Organizations formed ARCH to streamline aid to an untold number of animals.

Initial news from Haiti is grim. On January 12 a 7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes the Caribbean nation, killing tens of thousands of people. Government officials appeal for international aid as the U.S. Geological Survey records the quake as the most powerful to hit Haiti in over 200 years. The 400 residents of Port-au-Prince endure widespread damage, with the quake's epicenter 15km southwest of the city. Reuters footage reveals chaos. Dazed survivors sob as they stumble over rubble and fallen buildings. Witnesses describe hillside homes and shanties that shattered in pieces and tumbled down like an avalanche. As forceful 5.9 aftershocks rattle Port-au-Prince night-long and for several more days, communication systems are down and roadways blocked. Haiti, a poor nation, lacks basic response resources such as equipment to move debris and adequate emergency responders. When human emergency management is weak, animals suffer ten times over. In Port-au-Prince alone, some 5 million farmed and native wild animals are severely harmed. Displaced residents are seen clutching chickens or leading roped cows through streets in ruins. In Haiti farmed animals such as pigs and chickens face post-quake starvation, due to depleted food sources and shelter. Goats, cows, horses and donkeys, fair slightly better because they graze in fields far from the destruction and are not as dependent upon feed stores. Unlike corporate factory farms in the U.S., Haitians raise animals in their backyards. The Haitian government, however, lacks agri-infrastructure to supply medicines and vaccines that immunize animals from common illnesses such as anthrax and pig cholera. For companion animals, the situation is wretched. Pre-disaster, a sprawling stray population already fought to survive against disease and abuse. Now, these animals face starvation, untreated wounds and disease spread. As in all catastrophic events, animal responders are unable to access stricken areas until humanitarian measures are underway. Animal Relief Coalition For Haiti (ARCH) plans to not only treat animals in Port-au-Prince, but also expand vet aid into outlying regions harmed in the disaster. ARCH's goal is to leave Haiti's animal infrastructure better than we found it. As an ARCH member, Kinship Circle seeks funding for:

Mobile Clinic Relief
Vaccine Delivery
Temporary Vet Clinics (staffed by Haitian vets)
Cold Stores, Good Cold Chain
Dog Population And Control Study
Monitoring and Evaluation
On-Site Project Manager
Outreach And Education Campaigns, Including Disaster Preparedness

Dogs, people wander a city in ruins, Kinship Circle — Deep Casualties

Casualties

Casualties

Companion animals scavenge for food (c) Kinship Circle

Pigs and dogs search trash for food (c) Kinship Circle

Pigs and dogs survive in streets (c) Kinship Circle

LocationPort-au-Prince and outlying rural regions
Field LogARCH Situation Reports, Kinship Circle Log Jan 20-31

WRECKAGE AND HUNGER
“Animals are frightened, alone, injured and without food,” says Kinship Circle executive director Brenda Shoss. “Our organization has united with animal welfare groups worldwide under the banner Animal Relief Coalition For Haiti (ARCH) to offer rescue and veterinary care, as well as long term measures such as vaccinations to curb rabies, leptospirosis and other disease outbreaks.”

ARCH assessment efforts in Haiti help animal teams formulate an emergency response plan. As part of that plan, a mobile veterinary clinic is en route to aid animals in Haiti. Among the 500,000 caregiven and stray dogs in Port-au-Prince, Haiti's Ministry of Agriculture estimates that 70% of caregiven dogs are vaccinated against rabies. The line blurs between street animals and those with caregivers, as all companion animals roam freely and scavenge for food in Haiti. With so many displaced residents and closed businesses, animals in and around Port-au-Prince are without food. In the aftermath of the earthquake, children are commonly seen huddled with dogs in makeshift tents. Men and women clutch chickens as walk through devastated Port-au-Prince. In Haiti, confined animals such as pigs and chickens are in more danger post-quake, due to lack of feed and housing. Goats, cows, horses and donkeys, who graze in Haiti and are not reliant upon feed, live in fields away from structures. Unlike U.S. factory farms, Haitian farming commonly occurs in backyards. But the Haitian government lacks sufficient medicines and vaccines to protect farmed animals against common illness such as anthrax and pig cholera. ARCH's first shipment of animal medical supplies is expected to arrive from the Dominican Republic 1/25/10. PLEASE DONATE, so ARCH can maintain its flow of critical vet supplies to Haiti's animal disaster victims. Your kind heart ensures that no animal is turned away for lack of medical supplies.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITIMembers of an animal protection coalition have arrived in Haiti to aid animals. The team represents Animal Relief Coalition For Haiti (ARCH), led by World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA) and International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) — and formed specifically to address the Haiti earthquake crisis. The ARCH team is meeting with Haitian government officials and international agencies such as the United Nations, to define urgent animal-related problems and define options for a long-term plan that improves infrastructure for veterinary care, vaccination programs and animal population control services. “Animal conditions before the earthquake were not good, so we can't 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 plans for a lasting good.” From the ground, Gerardo Huertas, WSPA Disaster Management Director for the Americas, notes: “Just 11 days after the earthquake, we find a city in ruins. But we also meet professional government authorities committed to the tasks ahead.” A familiar scene in quake-ravaged Port-au-Prince: Sad, emaciated dogs wander through debris and smoke. Pigs, dogs and other animals often scavenge trash heaps together, in search of anything edible. Some animals in Port-au-Prince huddle with humans inside tent camps, where ARCH responders treat them for gashes, broken bones, mange, malnutrition, dehydration, worms, parasites, etc.

Haiti Earthquake 2010, ARCH, Kinship Circle

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OR MAIL TO:
Kinship Circle
7380 Kingsbury Blvd
St. Louis, MO 63130

Donate

DONATE ONLINE

OR MAIL TO:
Kinship Circle Disaster Aid
7380 Kingsbury Blvd
St. Louis, MO 63130

Pigs, horses, goats need vet aid too, Kinship Circle

Dog treated for an open hind leg wound, Kinship Circle

ARCH, with Haitian vets and Sodapreca, treats animals

Homeless kids and dogs live at mercy of the streets

Dog treated for mange in Haiti, Kinship Circle

Superstition fuels cat abuse in Haiti, Kinship Circle

Animals are commonly taunted in Haiti, Kinship Circle — Sodopreca

Sodopreca Reaches Out To Us

LocationDominican Republic, Port-au-Prince and outlying rural regions in Haiti
Field LogBrenda Shoss, Kinship Circle Director Jan 20-31

Sodopreca team aids animals in Haiti, (c) Kinship Circle

Sodopreca is first animal group on ground, Kinship Circle

SODAPRECA CONTACTS KINSHIP CIRCLE ABOUT ANIMAL AID IN HAITISociedad Dominicana para la Prevencion de Crueldad a los Animales (Sodopreca) — a Dominican Republic SPCA in Santo Domingo — is first to gain authorization to enter Port-au-Prince for animal assessment after the earthquake. Marcos A. Polanco, Sodopreca Founder, contacts Kinship Circle before and during its involvement with ARCH, to request support from our animal disaster responders. The group's disaster plan includes aid to horses, pigs, goats or any large domesticated animals found in distress. Sodopreca also coordinates transfer of some dogs to a USA agency for adoption. A draft agreement between the groups outlines goals to rescue, medically treat, temporarily shelter and rehome as many dogs and cats as possible. Under the plan, Kinship Circle would deploy responders in stages to assist Sodopreca in the field, manage volunteer flow, and coordinate acquisition/distribution of much needed supplies.However, under commitment to ARCH, Kinship Circle is obligated to work within a structure that prohibits independent deployment. To maintain our integrity as a nonprofit charity, Kinship Circle is compelled to proceed as an ARCH member. Still, after Sodopreca tells us about dire animal conditions in Haiti, we wire money to directly support their efforts. Kinship Circle and Sodopreca communicate throughout acute response stages and we commend the group's devotion to Haiti animals. To our knowledge, there are no animal rescue organizations based in Haiti itself. Sodopreca and ARCH reach an agreement to temporarily share a compound outside Haiti's airport, with food and supplies from the Dominican Republic. Animals are commonly taunted in Haiti. In addition to a huge stray companion animal population, there are roughly 5 million farmed animals (excluding domestic fowl) in Port-au-Prince alone. Kinship Circle works round the clock with other animal groups to get resources to them. There are many challenges: the scale of human tragedy, lack of security, limited access. Funding is critical. PLEASE DONATE generously today. Your kind heart gives forgotten animals another chance at life.