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Amazon CARES: Field Report: Peru Rescue / Intl। Response? (excerpts from newsletter posted by Molly Mednikow) Date : September 7, 2007 I did not get a report out on September 6 as promised. Several team members are quite ill (including me). We are suffering from high fevers (mine reached 101!), stomach issues and congestion. I belief working long hours in the sun, little sleep, suspicious food, and the dust we are breathing in are some of the culprits. The only reason I had had some time to work on the Internet is due to my being quarantined. Due to the sheer number of volunteers CAAT provides, the group has a very strong and important role in the ongoing relief work. Amazon Cares has only 5 people here (with only 8 employees I consider this quite a commitment). We closed our Veterinary Clinic in Iquitos, which provides essential funding to support our animal shelter (which I have learned is the ONLY shelter in all Peru)! Members of the CAAT team came with many medicines and supplies to donate, however, they did not expect to perform this quantity of spay/neuter surgeries. Luckily both teams are sharing supplies and medicines, and every morning Veterinarian Esther Peña buys new medicines and supplies for team use. Amazon Cares is also paying for housing and meals for the entire team, as well as bus rental and most other transportation costs. The housing is in the home of Esther’s mother! Many thanks to Esther’s family for making room for this large group and providing delicious food (I know her food did not make anyone ill), and doing everything to make us feel comfortable. The financial burden for all involved continues to grow. As of this moment, September 7 at 1 PM, our donations total $620. I do not enjoy begging for money, but the situation here is dire, and we need funds to continue helping animals in need. Please help us spread the word! The $620 are the donations collected from the website of Amazon Cares, which we are sharing with participating organizations. Despite our desire to assist this region with ongoing efforts with the complete support of the Ministry of Health, the government has made clear that they can not support our efforts with ANY funding...." (Click to read full report) Earthquake Photos Link: http://www.amazoncares.upcsites.org/EarthquakePics.html Click to Donate to Amazon CARES:  9/7/07 Best Friends News: Best Friends International has a team on the ground and have posted updates on their website "Peru Earthquake Relief" http://network.bestfriends.org/peru_quake/news/ To donate to Best Friends click below:   9/4/07 Amazon CARES: Current News re: Animal Earthquake Relief Efforts (excerpts from newsletter posted by Molly Mednikow 9/4/07) http://www.amazoncares.upcsites.org/newsletters/newsletter/4866003/44545.htm I am currently working in the disaster areas of Peru in the aftermath of the August 15th earthquake. My name is Molly Mednikow, and I am the Founder and Director of Amazon Community Animal Rescue, Education & Safety, Amazon CARES, based in Iquitos, Peru (the Amazon region). I happened to be in the USA when the earthquake occurred. Within five days I sent four people from Amazon Cares to Ica, Peru to assist in disaster relief for animals. Soon after that three volunteers from Animal Rescue New Orleans arrived. All of this was due to a request for help from ASPPA, the Peruvian Association for the Protection of Animals, based in Lima, Peru. Their initial call for help (translated from Spanish) basically said “The Ministry of Health has requested help for animals dying of hunger and thirst in the South. Many of them have been abandoned by their owners, stuck or trapped in the rubble. We need balanced food for dogs and cats, but the most important donation is financial, as we have to rent transportation to deliver donations and rescue workers to the disaster zones. Money is also needed to purchase medications as there are many animal accident victims. Nobody is helping these animals as they are not a priority. Don’t abandon us. We need your collaboration. The most humble can save a life.” 9/2/07 Best Friends International Article liking to our blog: http://network.bestfriends.org/news/18371.html Amazon CARES  Molly Mednikow Sunday September 2, 2007, 11:29 am I am the Director of Amazon Cares, and we currently have a team of Vets at work in the disaster areas of Peru. We closed our Vet clinic in Iquitos, Peru temporarily to bring 2 Vets and 2 Vet Techs plus myself to these areas of Peru. We also arranged for a 20 member team from the Canadian Animal Assistance Team to come help for 2 weeks! Working with the Ministry of Health, and an emergency plan is just now falling into place (we have been working under extreme chaos for 5 days, but yesterday finally had some semblance of organization, despite less than favorable working conditions). We are also working on short and long term plans. Other organizations involved are Animal Rescue New Orleans and ASSPCA, the Animal Protection Organization located in Lima, Peru. Yesterday, Sept. 1, we worked in a tent city and were joined by 4 Veterinarians from Ica as well as a cadre of Vet students. Situation is dire. Donations can easily be made through our website as we are a registered US charity. www.amazoncares.org. All funds go directly to this effort. Sincerely, Molly Mednikow 9/01/07 New Story Link from Best Friends International: http://network.bestfriends.org/news/postdetail.aspx?gu=international&np=18351 8/31/07 Breaking News: Just received this from Best Friends Animal Society letter: ". . . And the rescue work continues. A small team from Best Friends is heading out to Peru to help assess the needs of the animals and local groups following the earthquake there. No story on that yet, but we’ll keep you posted." (follow up to Good News below- didn't want to use their name before they announced it ). This is my first Blog so please be kind. 8/30/07 About Me (seriously not into shameless self promotion but want to tell about myself for credibility): I am a trained Animal Disaster Response volunteer. I trained with a National organization in the US. I have responded to Katrina (adopted a HW+ injured, blind in one eye Border Collie), a fire and flood and help with animal disaster preparedness training and awareness. In 2006, 200 homes in my community flooded, including my own. I evacuated my six year old son, 3 dogs and twenty-eight parrots alone in waist deep water. During that time I also rescued and adopted a horse and got a small scale animal rescue going locally. We went into condemned areas and got out trapped pets whose owners were not allowed in, did food drops, set up a temporary shelter in my friend’s grooming shop and coordinated with local vets and boarding facilities. (Lived with my parents for eight months after I lost my house and am still recovering financially, repairing my home and my barn) I have a MA in Special Education and teach eight grade special ed. My job did give me unpaid leave for Katrina and 1 day unpaid for the fire (I backed it up to time off and weekend) but they have denied other unpaid leave and have been less than sympathetic on other occasions. Apparently I am the only person in my district of 5,000+ people who wants do Disaster Response work of any kind and take leave without pay to do it.
How this became my cause: I have three close friends (trained Disaster Response people, two are also psychologists who do trauma counseling in disaster zones) in Peru. The responded right after the call for animal assistance came in. I would be there right now but am unable to afford the transportation costs associated from the trip. May end up there yet if that is my path since things fall together for me in the exact way they need to happen for growth, self awareness and in my quest to help animals and others. If I go I will be using ½ of my sick leave for the year to do it. I received a call from them Sunday, August 26 begging for any help I can get to them and in. So far their expenses have been over $3,000 half of that for a vehicle rental for the week. They told me the animal situation is desperate and Peru needs help. I started an e-mail campaign to get them some donations then began e-mailing and calling contacts across the US to try to raise awareness and get some help down there.
What friends and I have been trying to do: 1. Organize a team(s) of trained volunteers including vet techs and possibly a zoo vet to go down into the region with medical supplies to hook up with local existing animal organizations and help them in whatever capacity needed. 2. Find individual and/or corporate sponsors to pay for their travel expenses and vehicle rental costs so they can get there. (We can get medical supplies donated through and from contacts) 3. Find a nonprofit willing to get on board to accept donations for volunteer travel expenses and Peru animals so that donations would be deductible 4. Solicit donations from various organizations to be shipped directly to Peru (there seems to be an issue of cost effectiveness and customs) or to be taken in the country with volunteers. In process- have some commitments 5. Find a way to prevent customs issues for volunteers taking animal supplies in. DONE- have three contacts in the Peruvian Consulate who have shown me what paperwork is needed and how to expedite the process. 6. Disseminate information coming directly out of Peru and have bilingual friends translate and contact local people in the field. 7. Develop media interest for this situation 8. maintain daily contact with my friends by phone and e-mail to keep current on the situation What I know: The animal situation is bad and getting worse every day. The Ministry of Health has requested international assistance for help with the animals. Many animals were abandoned by their owners and left to fend for themselves. There are injured animals roaming the streets and trapped. There is talk of killing ALL stray animals (including abandoned pets) roaming the streets in some towns. Poisoning has been mentioned but people and children are eating the food left out for the animals so shooting would be the way of culling. There are three local organizations in Peru working for the animals: ASPPA-Peru, Amazon CARES and HUAW HUAW. (am researching a fourth I heard about today). ASPPA-Peru and Amazon CARES are working together. Amazon CARES is a registered nonprofit in the US. They have agreed to take donations and transfer those marked for ASPPA-Peru to them. They are trying to get in contact with HUAW HUAW. Our Canadian brothers and sisters in the north, stepped up as always, and sent a team of 14 vets into the area. They will be there for three weeks. Some small teams from US organizations (ARNO) are down there but the need is great and the resources and volunteers are few. (have heard rumors of small teams and assessment teams from other organizations but have not confirmed these) What They are Doing: The vets and vet techs are doing spays/neuters on tables and desks in less than sanitary conditions with minimal equipment and supplies. They are vaccinating. They are treating injured animals. Treated animals get a red color so workers know they have been treated and if it comes to a killing time they might be spared. Volunteers are doing food drops, working with locals who need animal help, attending meetings and trying to get other plans in place with city ministers to avoid mass kills of animals. Note: The minister of Pisco is receptive to opening an animal shelter (modeled after Katrina shelters) if supplies and volunteers can be found. What You Can Do: 1. raise awareness about the criticalness of this issue to SAVE animals 2. Sponsor volunteers 3. volunteer 4. Donate Animal Organization Links, Blogs, stories (some are in Spanish): http://www.amazoncares.upcsites.org/newsletters/newsletter/4866003/44235.htm http://network.bestfriends.org/international/news/18313.html http://network.bestfriends.org/international/news/18243.html http://fecipa.blogspot.com/2007/08/asociacion-huaw-huaw-de-peru-hace.html http://www.rpp.com.pe/portada /nacional/93575_1.php http://www.elcomercio.com.pe /ediciononline/HTML/olecultimas /2007-08-23/olecultimas0420864 .html http://www.andina.com.pe /NoticiaDetalle.aspx?id=138737 http://www.laprimeraperu.com /noticia.php?IDnoticia=2837 http://www.larepublica.com.pe /content/view/173656/658/ http://www.larepublica.com.pe /content/view/174044/658/ Organizations that have agreed to help: http://www.Cloudstar.com - My dogs love their stuff and smell great after a “Buddy Wash”
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