First-hand report from Peru
By Richard Crook, Best Friends rapid response manager
An 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck the central/southern coast of Peru August 15, killing more than 500 people. It was centered off the coast about 100 miles south/southeast of Lima.
Three cities south of the capital were hit the hardest and had the largest populations – Chincha (population 181,777), Pisco (116,865) and Ica (297,771).
The coastal city of Pisco sustained the most damage as it was closest to the epicenter and endured a tsunami eight hours after the initial earthquake.
In Chincha, which is located about 100 miles south of Lima, buildings constructed of concrete sustained moderate damage while those made of bricks and mortar or adobe were destroyed or severely damaged.
We saw a combination of animals in the city, with the majority being companion animals, primarily dogs. Dogs roamed the streets freely and looked to be healthy and well fed; few wore collars and most were intact.
We saw one cat on the trip down from Lima at a roadside stand and two while in Chincha. All three were skinny and seemed skittish.
Livestock appeared to be unaffected by the earthquake.
We arrived late afternoon in Pisco, about 20 miles south Chincha. It was clearly the hardest hit area. Our observations confirmed reports that as much as 80 percent of the city has been destroyed by either the earthquake or the tsunami. Most of the city is in ruins much like the lower ninth ward in New Orleans (from Hurricane Katrina). While buildings made of stronger materials faired better than those made brick or adobe, they also sustained significant damage. Roads were passable but most had debris lining both sides. Piles of debris moved to the oceanfront were a half-mile long and 200 yards deep.
As in Chincha, residents in Pisco lined the streets in all directions.
Animals roamed the streets of Pisco, which seemed to have twice as many dogs as Chincha, but who were pretty much in the same condition of the dogs. We saw no cats. Again, the livestock seemed to be doing well.
We saw about 150 to 175 dogs while driving through the cities.
Ica, which is about 47 miles south of Pisco, sustained damage similar to Chincha.
We arrived late in the evening and settled in.
Shari Artadi, (
pictured here with me at the airport) of the Canadian Animal Assistance Team (a group of veterinarians and vet techs) arranged a dinner meeting between CAAT, our team and the group from AmazonCARES. (
Pictured below) It was an interesting and informative meeting, and reinforced my original gut feel for what realistic course of action someone needs to take.
When asked what is needed – and realistic – moving forward, they all seemed to agree that someone should set up a mobile clinic capable of spay/neuter, vaccinating and basic-to-intermediate medical care.
We will be joining the Canadians for a trip to Guadalupe on Saturday. From what we are hearing, the area was also hit pretty hard and is in need of vets to assist with basic-to-intermediate care.
CAAT and AmazonCARES (Amazon Community Animal Rescue, Education & Safety) will be pulling out next week – not because of lack of need but because they simply cannot stay any longer – leaving no help on the ground (at least none that anyone is aware of). While these areas are large geographically and in population, they become very small when it comes to humanitarian and animal welfare.
On Friday our team will be catching up on emails, sending reports/pictures back to Kanab and touring the cities of Ica and Pisco. We are holding up very well. Aldo and Molly are both doing a great job.
(
This photo of boy and dog is at a shelter where they allowed people to bring their pets.)
Photos by Molly Wald