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Animal Welfare in Disaster Settings: Challenges and Response Amidst 2025 Floods and Cloudbursts in Jammu (Kathua), and Himachal Pradesh

August 25, 2025

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Animal Welfare in Disaster Settings: Challenges and Response Amidst 2025 Floods and Cloudbursts in Jammu (Kathua), and Himachal Pradesh

Tanvi Gupta¹

¹4th Year Student, R.P.S. College of Veterinary Sciences, Balana, Mahendragarh

Introduction

Natural disasters—whether floods, cloudbursts, cyclones, or landslides—pose grave threats to both human lives and the millions of animals sharing our environment. The devastating 2025 floods and cloudbursts in northern India, especially in Jammu & Kashmir’s Kathua district, Jammu, and parts of Himachal Pradesh, have starkly underscored the vulnerability of animals in disaster situations.

Livestock and animals are central to rural economies, food security, public health, and cultural heritage. The loss or suffering of these animals leads to devastating economic and social consequences.

Animal welfare in disaster contexts extends beyond rescue to include preparedness, veterinary care, rehabilitation, and disease prevention. This holistic approach aligns with the One Health framework, integrating human, animal, and environmental welfare.

This article discusses the impact of the 2025 floods and cloudbursts on animal welfare in Jammu, Kathua, and Himachal Pradesh, the challenges encountered, veterinary and government responses, and valuable lessons from other Indian states.

The 2025 Floods and Cloudbursts: Regional Overview and Animal Impact
Disaster Events

Between June and August 2025, intense cloudbursts and floods struck Jammu & Kashmir’s Kathua district and Himachal Pradesh, causing flash floods, landslides, and widespread destruction. Village Jodh Ghati and others in Kathua saw homes and livestock enclosures swept away, with seven human casualties reported. Himachal Pradesh districts such as Mandi and Chamba also suffered extensive flood damage, including significant livestock losses.

Impact on Animals

Impact Aspect	Description	Consequences for Animal Welfare
Livestock Mortality	Drowning, trauma during floods and landslides	Economic setbacks due to loss of essential animals
Animal Displacement	Stranded without shelter, exposed to harsh conditions	Hypothermia, starvation, stress, disease
Veterinary Infrastructure Loss	Flooded clinics, broken cold chains affecting vaccine supplies	Delayed veterinary care and treatment
Disease Outbreaks	Waterborne and vector-borne diseases increase post-flood	Secondary epidemics affecting both animals and humans
Feed and Water Scarcity	Destroyed pastures and fodder crops causing malnutrition	Weakened immune systems and poor recovery

Animals suffer both from the immediate effects of floods and subsequent complications such as disease and starvation. Veterinary services face disruptions due to damaged infrastructure and supply shortages. In addition to the direct physical harm caused by floods, animals face heightened risks from disease outbreaks fueled by contaminated water and stress. Protective veterinary interventions are often hampered due to damage to infrastructure and supply chains, exacerbating animal suffering.

Challenges in Animal Welfare During Disasters

- Sudden disaster onset minimizes preparation and evacuation time.
- Destroyed infrastructure hampers rescue and veterinary access.
- Livelihood dependency makes animal loss devastating for rural families.
- Insufficient animal-inclusive disaster planningleaves gaps in emergency responses.
- Lack of specialized veterinary emergency teams and supplieshinders care.
- Post-disaster conditions favor disease outbreaks, threatening animals and humans alike.

III. Veterinary Interventions During the 2025 Floods and Cloudbursts

Veterinary efforts were crucial in mitigating animal suffering and preventing large-scale losses.

Emergency medical care: Mobile clinics provided wound treatment, hydration, and trauma care.
Vaccination campaigns: Rapid immunization against diseases like foot-and-mouth and parasitic infections prevented outbreaks.
Nutritional support: Coordinated fodder and mineral supplement distributions helped maintain animal health.
Temporary animal shelters: Offered refuge with access to food, water, and veterinary care.
Surveillance and monitoring: Early detection of zoonotic risks enabled timely warnings to communities.
Community training: Farmers educated on animal first aid and safe evacuation improved local response.

These interventions saved numerous livestock lives and helped communities rebuild their livelihoods post-disaster.

IV. Government Policy and Institutional Response

India’s National Policy on Disaster Management (2009) formally includes animal protection provisions, urging shelter, feed, and care during calamities. The National Disaster Management Plan (2019) further aligns with global standards like the Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards (LEGS), emphasizing livestock protection in rural disaster resilience efforts.

However, the implementation remains inconsistent at local levels, with limited enforcement mechanisms and operational protocols for animal welfare integrated into district and panchayat disaster plans.

The Jammu & Kashmir Disaster Management Plan includes veterinary relief provisions, aiming for collaboration between disaster and animal husbandry departments, though gaps in infrastructure and trained personnel persist.

V. Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction

Empowering local communities with training in early warning, animal evacuation, and basic veterinary care strengthens resilience. Community-driven plans, fodder stockpiling, and flood-resistant animal shelters have shown promise in mitigating future disaster impacts.

VI. Case Studies from Other Indian States: Learning from Experience

State	Disaster Type	Animal Welfare Actions	Outcomes
Kerala	Floods (2018, 2025)	Emergency shelters, multi-agency rescue, vaccination	Reduced livestock mortality, model evacuation
Odisha	Cyclone Fani (2019)	Mobile veterinaries, farmer training, fodder relief	Rapid recovery of animal health and livelihoods
Uttarakhand	Flash Floods (2013)	Rescue, carcass disposal, livestock restocking	Zoonotic risks controlled, livelihoods restored
Assam/Bihar	Annual Floods	Community veterinary camps and vaccination	Improved community resilience and animal welfare

In Kerala, the establishment of India’s first emergency animal evacuation shelter demonstrated the power of multi-sectoral collaboration in flood response. Odisha’s cyclone response focused heavily on mobile vet care and farmer education, accelerating animal health recovery. Uttarakhand’s flash flood response emphasized carcass disposal and restocking to prevent disease and restore farming systems. Assam and Bihar’s community veterinary camps have built local capacity for recurrent floods.

VII. Integrating Best Practices for Jammu, Kathua, and Himachal Pradesh

Key recommendations for improving disaster animal welfare in these regions include:

Establishment of permanent, climate-resilient animal shelters.
Expansion of veterinary emergency response units.
Collaborative cross-sector approaches including forestry and environmental agencies.
Enhanced community engagement and farmer training programs.
Improved data collection and monitoring for disaster animal health risks.

VIII. Summary and Way Forward

The 2025 floods and cloudbursts in Jammu, Kathua, and Himachal Pradesh highlight the urgent need to elevate animal welfare alongside human-centric disaster management. Animals are vital to rural livelihoods, ecosystem health, and public welfare.

Continued efforts to strengthen veterinary emergency capabilities, infrastructure, policy enforcement, and community empowerment will reduce animal suffering and economic loss, thereby supporting the resilience of vulnerable populations.

Veterinarians hold a pivotal role in disaster settings, providing critical medical care, disease control, and advisory services. Their expertise, when fully integrated into disaster frameworks, can greatly enhance the preparedness, response, and recovery for communities and animals alike under the One Health perspective.

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