When Floods Strike, Where Do Pets Go? Wayanad Leads With India’s First Animal Evacuation Hub

There is a natural disaster, and a family is forced to make a choice: leave their pets behind to save themselves.

‘No family should ever have to choose between saving themselves or their animals. And no pet should be left behind.’

With this simple mission, Wayanad, Kerala — a district known for its lush hills, tribal communities, and repeated natural disasters — is witnessing a quiet but transformative movement. 

Here, India’s first permanent animal evacuation shelter is being built, setting a powerful precedent for disaster preparedness that places animals not as an afterthought, but as central to survival and recovery.

Behind the initiative is a network of local government officials, animal welfare organisations, and volunteers who have seen first-hand the heartbreak of families forced to abandon animals during floods and landslides.

From disaster zones to a permanent solution

For Praveen Suresh, manager of the disaster response team at Humane World for Animals India, the idea for a permanent shelter emerged not in theory, but from the muddy trenches of repeated disaster zones.

“We’ve been conducting disaster preparedness training with pastoralists and Kudumbashree women’s groups since 2021,” he explains. “The same concern kept coming up — people don’t want to evacuate without their animals. And they won’t, even when their lives are at risk.”

These weren’t just livestock. “These animals are family. They’re income, emotional companions, and memories,” Praveen says.

The 2018 and 2019 floods revealed how deep that bond goes. “We heard story after story of people who stayed behind and watched helplessly as their animals drowned. Others returned home to find them bloated and lifeless in the floodwaters.”

These experiences triggered long-term psychological trauma, a fact backed by research on the mental health impacts of disaster zones. “Many pastoralists still carry that pain. The shelter is a direct response to their plea: give us a place where we can take our animals when disaster strikes.”

When Dr Sekhar from the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority endorsed the idea, the vision began to take shape — not as a temporary arrangement, but as a permanent, community-owned solution.

When animals are stranded, entire communities suffer

Wayanad’s steep slopes, scattered settlements, and narrow roads add multiple layers of difficulty to disaster response. For Arun Peter, Hazard Analyst at the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in Wayanad, the issue goes beyond physical rescue.

“Sometimes the real challenge is knowing when not to intervene,” he says. “In the 2024 landslides, we saw cattle grazing peacefully in the aftermath. Moving them out, even with good intentions, caused unnecessary stress. Not every animal needs to be rescued. The key is understanding which ones do.”

One incident that stayed with him was when a tribal family fled, leaving behind six dogs and five puppies. “We managed to reach them later and feed the animals until the family returned. But many don’t get that chance. The lack of a dedicated evacuation site creates an enormous grey area where animals fall through the cracks.”

According to Arun, the shelter is not only timely — it’s overdue. “This is a functional gap in India’s disaster management. The people of Wayanad are showing the way forward.”

This is not just a camp. It’s a full-fledged preparedness hub

Unlike makeshift tarpaulin shelters erected during emergencies, this new facility is built to last — and to act fast. It will activate the moment an early warning is issued.

“There’s no waiting for the flood to reach the village,” says Praveen. “This shelter will already be stocked with feed, water, basic veterinary care, and transportation plans.”

Designed to house different species across multiple buildings, it includes drainage systems, storage areas, and most importantly — a veterinary clinic and quarantine zone.

“These features aren’t just add-ons,” says Arun. “They are vital. Animals rescued from floods or landslides are often dehydrated, injured, or infected. A clinic means they can be stabilised immediately. A quarantine zone helps prevent outbreaks that could wipe out other animals in recovery.”

Athira N V, a volunteer during the 2024 Chooralmala and Mundakkai landslides, recalls the chaos of ad-hoc animal rescues. “We didn’t have a fixed place to take them. We depended on neighbours or anyone willing to help.”

That will no longer be the case. “A permanent shelter changes the entire game — for animals and for us,” she adds.

Emotional recovery often begins with the animals

Athira has seen how animal rescue can be the only sliver of hope amid devastation.

“There was a dog we reunited with its family after the floods,” she recalls. “They were in a relief camp and had assumed the dog had died. When we brought them back together, I saw pure joy. It was like giving them back a part of their life.”

Another time, a traumatised Pomeranian was found wandering alone. “His family had relocated. A neighbour, herself homeless, recognised the dog and offered to foster him. She said, ‘We’ll comfort each other.’ That line stuck with me.”

According to Praveen, this emotional healing is just as important as economic recovery. “Disaster resilience includes mental health. And mental health is often tied to relationships — even those we have with animals.”

Livelihoods can’t recover if animals are gone

In rural India, the loss of livestock often triggers a spiral of poverty.

“We’ve seen people lose a single cow and end up in debt,” Arun explains. “They pull their kids out of school, take out high-interest loans, or sell land. Government compensation barely scratches the surface.”

The shelter, Praveen says, is a layer of protection against this spiral. “Saving one animal means saving a source of milk, transport, or labour. That impacts not just one day but an entire family’s future.”

It’s a small step with far-reaching consequences — one that finally accounts for the full scope of human–animal dependence in rural disaster zones.

Built for Wayanad, but meant for replication

Arun sees the shelter as both a local necessity and a national prototype.

“This isn’t a one-off project. It’s being woven into Kerala’s disaster response SOPs. We’ll have annual reviews, panchayat-level oversight, and state-level monitoring. It’s meant to last.”

The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority has already allocated Rs 10 lakh annually for its maintenance. A panchayat-led shelter management committee will oversee training, logistics, and activation.

On the policy side, Arun says the model is already influencing other districts. “We’re in talks to replicate this in more flood- and cyclone-prone regions. It’s a live model of how public–private partnerships can work — not in theory, but on the ground.”

Empowering communities through ownership

From the beginning, this shelter has belonged to the people.

“We didn’t parachute in with blueprints,” says Praveen. “We listened to what the community said they needed — and built that.”

Volunteers like Athira now train local responders, women’s self-help groups, and schoolchildren. “These communities already have a strong sense of disaster readiness,” she says. “They just need some tools and trust. They know their animals better than anyone.”

Arun agrees. “Resilience doesn’t come from outside. It’s built when communities see themselves in the solution.”

What next?

As construction moves forward, all eyes are on Wayanad. The shelter is set to be operational by 2026, but its impact is already being felt — not just in bricks and blueprints, but in changing mindsets.

“This project proves that protecting animals is not a luxury — it’s essential to community resilience,” says Arun. “It’s not about charity. It’s about strategy.”

In the years ahead, as climate change continues to intensify India’s disaster landscape, the Wayanad shelter could become a model of inclusive, effective, and humane planning.

For now, it stands as a testament to what’s possible when compassion meets preparedness.

As Athira puts it: “Saving animals is saving people. This shelter makes that possible.”

(Edited by Vidya Gowri Venkatesh)