Floods Thailand 2011 – NetAP | Network for Animal Protection

In 2011, the heavy and unusually long-lasting monsoon caused severe flooding in Thailand. At the end of October, when the floods reached their peak, the situation was exacerbated by a spring tide that slowed the flow of water.

People and animals fell victim to this natural disaster. An area of around six million hectares of land (equivalent to almost 12% of Thailand’s total area) was affected.

NetAP vets on site

In October, we received news of the flood. Our partner Soi Dog Foundation asked us for urgent help. Thousands of animals were at risk of drowning. Helpers took care of the animals and placed them in emergency shelters, but there was a lack of specialist staff to provide them with medical care.

Just one week after the call for help, the first three NetAP vets were on site, operating for up to 16 hours a day. At the start of the operations, our teams were working in Cha-am, around three hours’ drive from Bangkok. The animal welfare organization Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT) had provided plenty of space and a well-equipped clinic as well as accommodation for our vets. Within a short space of time, our most experienced vet, Dr. Beni Stähelin, reorganized and restructured the clinic’s procedures so that the number of operations could be increased from the previous maximum of 10 per day to 40. His calmness, his extensive knowledge, his experience and his flexible and uncomplicated manner played a major role in ensuring that everything ran smoothly within a short space of time and that the animals quickly received the best possible care.

Every day, helpers brought more rescued animals from the flooded areas. New kennels were constantly being built by skilled craftsmen. The NetAP vets were constantly operating on and treating dozens of animals. As soon as the animals were healthy, they were neutered, because it was precisely because the animals were reproducing uncontrollably on the streets that there were so many victims. The many cases of uterine infections that our vets operated on clearly showed how important castration is for the animals’ well-being.

By mid-December, the more than 1,400 animals at the station in Cha-am had been neutered and treated. The floods had receded somewhat so that more vets could be deployed in Bangkok itself, at the clinic run by the local animal welfare organization TREAT. A NetAP vet even worked on site between Christmas and New Year. The feedback from the local animal welfare activists about our vets was excellent, they were impressed by the expertise and especially the commitment of our people. All the vets worked on a voluntary basis to help the animals in need.

Our efforts did not go unnoticed by the press. Numerous media outlets ran articles about the commitment of our organization and the people working for it. Even in our neighboring country, Germany, it was reported several times. By the end of the disaster, thirteen NetAP vets were on duty. Thanks to our generous donors, we were also able to finance a great deal of material, food and other urgently needed relief supplies.