Wayanad: Wayanad is set to get India’s first shelter for domestic animals and pets displaced by floods and other natural calamities, thanks to a pioneering initiative by animal charity Humane World for Animals India.
The state government’s Disaster Management Department has approved the NGO’s proposal and sanctioned Rs 10 lakh as a one-time corpus fund. The shelter, estimated to cost Rs 69.6 lakh, will be built on a 50-cent plot provided by Kottathara grama panchayat at Cheerakath, an elevated area 15 km from Kalpetta, the district headquarters.
“In the 2018 floods, we lost around 100 cows and goats. In 2019, despite being better prepared, many farmers still suffered heavy losses. So when Humane World for Animals India proposed this shelter, we readily agreed to provide the land,” said P P Raneesh, Congress leader and president of Kottathara grama panchayat.
Volunteers from the NGO arrived in Wayanad after the 2024 landslides that devastated Punjirimattom, Mundakkai, and Chooralmala, and rescued 186 domestic animals and pets. They later surveyed the farmers of five panchayats, including Kottathara, to assess their needs before proposing a permanent shelter for disaster-affected animals.
State Disaster Management Authority Member Secretary Shekhar Kuriakose (right) visits the proposed site for the disaster-time animal shelter. Also seen are Panchayat President P P Raneesh, Panchayat Secretary K A Mini, and Hazard Analyst Arun Peter. Photo: Special Arrangement.
Raneesh said that the state government had already sanctioned a Rs 3-crore multipurpose shelter for people affected by natural calamities at Cheerakath. “We wanted the animal shelter close by so farmers could easily look after their cows — milk them, feed them, and care for them. If it were too far, reaching it during calamities would be a struggle,” he said.
The shelter is a collaborative effort between the State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), Wayanad District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Kottathara Grama panchayat, and Humane World for Animals India. According to a government order issued on March 10, DDMA will oversee the project, while Kottathara Grama Panchayat will cover operational costs. The panchayat may use the interest from the corpus fund, to be released by KSDMA, to meet these expenses.
Praveen Suresh, Manager of the Disaster Preparedness and Response Team at Humane World for Animals India, called the shelter India’s first for animals during disasters and said it would be ready by 2026. The NGO is fully funding the project. “The shelter will provide immediate medical care and relief to rescued animals while also serving as a long-term support system for animal welfare,” he said.
Speaking to Onmanorama, he said that the shelter will have dedicated blocks for different types of animals. Facilities will include a front office for record-keeping, a veterinary clinic with essential treatments, a quarantine area, an equipment room, proper water supply, sanitation and waste management systems, a biogas plant, and a parking lot. “We will be able to accommodate 100 to 150 animals at any given time,” said Suresh.