“It was a hot day, with temperatures rising to 40 degrees Celsius … A baby buffalo and an old woman were taking refuge in the shade of a small thorny devi bush … Most of the men had taken their livestock out to graze in the nearby fields … Women would walk far to the nearest watering hole to fetch murky water for their families and the smaller animals that were too young to walk to the water themselves. We saw a woman by the roadside pouring water on her buffalo’s head to keep it cool.”

These were some of the heartbreaking scenes reported by the volunteer teams organised by PAWS (Pakistan Animal Welfare Society) during the devastating floods of 2010.

“The care and concern of the people for their animals was evident … Some hadn’t received any relief goods from the government authorities themselves, yet were busy making sure their remaining animals survive”

People who had lost all their belongings and barely had enough to eat were putting the needs of their livestock first; even non-revenue generating animals like pigeons were taken care of. Because if there’s one thing nature teaches people who live closest to it, it is that the wellbeing of animals is crucial for a healthy society.

As one of the leading organisations fighting for animal welfare, PAWS led efforts to provide treatment and food for the large number of livestock affected by the floods; they then followed up with an income generating programme for widowed women by providing them with goats. Every woman who received a goat has to enter into an agreement to send her children to school using the income generated by selling the goats’ milk, butter, etc thus the welfare of her livestock becomes a measure of her prosperity.

According to Dr Sher Nawaz of Brooke, an international animal welfare organisation working in Pakistan since 1991, “Lack of knowledge and a poor attitude are some of the main problems leading to animal neglect and suffering.” Brooke has been working closely with a number of low-income communities in Karachi to improve the plight of working animals, mainly donkeys, mules and horses. “Owners often have no idea how much water to give their animals; they did not know how to care for their wounds or the importance of proper foot care. Our mobile units provide training sessions for owners as well as farriers, fodder providers, etc. to raise awareness and improve attitudes.” According to Dr Sher attitudes have changed and the bond between animals and their owners have become deeper thanks to these sessions.

According to Mahera Omar, co-founder PAWS, the wellbeing of working animals and livestock is one aspect; even the health of stray dogs and cats is directly related to the wellbeing of the entire community. “India has an official policy whereby stray dogs are neutered, not shot. This will eventually lead to a smaller, healthier population of strays and contribute to disease control,” she believes.

The Brooke team also works with school children to inculcate a sense of animal welfare among the new generation; hopefully, learning to care for our fellow living creatures will eventually help us become better human beings.