Introduction
Natural disaster, any calamitous occurrence generated by the effects of natural, rather than human-driven, phenomena that produces great loss of human life or destruction of the natural environment , private property, or public infrastructure. (Metych & Michele, 2025)
India's vast agricultural areas extend across its sacred rivers as part of its natural cyclical monsoon patterns, which have sustained the country's existence since ancient times. Disasters strike widely across India, where Assam faces catastrophic flooding while Maharashtra endures withering drought conditions. Human distress often diverts attention from the millions of animals who comprise the fundamental economic foundation of the rural sector during these critical times.
Veterinary medicine, which traditionally focused on livestock care and animal welfare, now functions as a defensive force protecting both public health and disaster resilience and stability of the nation. Animal welfare in times of emergency matters because dynamic livestock represent 4% of India’s economic growth and sustain 70% of rural existence, so their protection is essential for both social well-being and economic resources.
Veterinary professionals in India bridge scientific knowledge and crisis management capabilities and show deep compassion in their work. Veterinary professionals support animal recovery efforts beyond medical interventions during emergencies. The health threats from displaced livestock and dead animals require evaluation to prevent zoonotic disease spread and maintain food safety standards and carcass management while helping communities recover animal assets.
The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), through its 2024 Crisis Management Plan (CMP), presents an organized strategy for disaster responses that uses three fundamental phases:
Preparedness
- Active and passive disease surveillance helps identify outbreaks at an initial stage of their progression.
- Training sessions and practice drills improve the preparedness levels of veterinary personnel.
- The authorities in each state need to establish prepared plans for livestock evacuation and find suitable locations that can serve as temporary shelters before emergencies occur.
- All important establishments of emergency feed stockpiling alongside fodder banks and mobile veterinary units must be prepared for use in susceptible regions.
Response
- Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) perform emergency medical services while implementing travel bans and confining potentially infected animals, along with conducting cleansing operations during critical periods.
- The implementation of cooperation between District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs) and animal NGOs as well as Panchayati Raj institutions becomes essential at this time.
- Emergency vaccination operations coupled with vital public outreach can limit the severity of the situation.
Recovery
- The priority during recovery includes reestablishing livestock populations together with shelter restorations while providing farmers with resources to regain disease-free conditions.
- The monitoring of long-term health threats through epidemiological surveillance begins immediately after the disaster period.
Media outlets typically show images of boats working for rescue operations alongside pictures of damaged bridges and airborne food supplies. The veterinary professional rarely appears rescuing buffalo through deep water or treating calves in field clinics. In critical times, veterinary professionals operate as silent rescuers who protect rural India.
Veterinary work safeguards food supply lines and stops disease outbreaks while sustaining rural economic activity.
Integrating Veterinary Services into the National Disaster Grid
India needs to establish veterinary medicine as a core strategic element for disaster resilience beyond its current role as an additional service. The following steps are essential:
- The national and state disaster response authorities should establish a direct presence of veterinary expert professionals to strengthen their operations.
- The funding of mobile diagnostic units and ambulatory clinics must be prioritized for disaster-prone areas.
- Disaster preparedness for animals and their welfare requires community awareness programs to be delivered at the village level.
- All veterinary educational programs across UG and PG must include mandatory disaster management instruction.
Conclusion
International alliances should be developed to share knowledge through training programs and research projects and response practice exercises.
Animals in India are viewed beyond economic resources because they represent cultural values and serve as emotional family members and vital resources for survival. When natural disasters strike drought-affected villages and flood-prone districts, the sounds of cattle calling and goats bleating also serve as living indicators of community endurance and renewal.
Veterinary medicine integrated into disaster response strategies functions as a powerful enhancement tool that safeguards animals and sustains rural Indian communities.
Sources:
- Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, Crisis Management Plan for Livestock Diseases (2024)
- ePashuPalan: The Role of Veterinary Services in Emergency Management Involving Livestock
- World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) disaster guidelines
