A group of Brazilians from Grad (Disaster Animal Response Group) — an organization specializing in animal rescue — went to Venezuela for volunteer work. The country is facing difficulties after being hit by two earthquakes on Wednesday (24).
According to Grad, the team arrived this Friday morning (26), after request for help from local organizations due to the tragedy.
The group works to provide guidance to the population and provides clinical care to animals that were affected by the incident. In addition, three trucks containing approximately are being sent and should arrive in the country this Saturday (27).
Rescue operations
The group is responsible for more than 100 operations, assisting at least 50,000 animals. The project prioritizes life, so, whatever the type of animal, assistance will be provided, in total, 20 thousand species were served.
According to the organizers, one of the team’s missions is to welcome animals that are victims of climate events, extremes and humanitarian crises. The Group is led by veterinarian Carla Sássi.
After rescue, the sheltered animals need to return to their habitat or adapt, The NGO works to reinsert rescued animals into the communities they live in or send them for adoption.
The more than 100 volunteers are made up of technicians trained to work in different situations.
Earthquakes
The north coast of Venezuela was hit, on Wednesday night (24), by two of the biggest earthquakes recorded in the country in more than a century. According to Jorge Rodríguez, president of the country’s National Assembly, the tremors resulted in at least 920 deaths and 3,360 injuries.
The 7.2-magnitude quake hit an area about 100 miles west of Caracas, followed less than a minute later by a 7.5-magnitude tremor, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
According to the congressman, more than 4,000 people are homeless and 383 homes were completely or significantly damaged, the majority not.
A website created to record reports of people not yet located listed 50,000 names this Friday morning (26).
The update comes as rescuers work to find more during the “golden window” of up to 72 hours after the earthquake.
The number of fatalities is expected to increase significantly as search teams continue their search efforts.
Delcy Rodríguez also announced this Friday (26) that the government decided to militarize the state of La Guaira after the earthquakes.
*Under the supervision of Thiago Félix
