Help for animals after deadly earthquake hits Myanmar

Animal welfare organizations are trying to assess how many animals need help after a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on Saturday. 

Vast areas of the country were hit and parts of northern Thailand. The destruction has been catastrophic. The earthquake displaced entire communities, broke infrastructure, and heavily impacted humans and animals.

With homes and barns reduced to rubble, animals have been left injured, disoriented, or abandoned. In the regions of Mandalay, Sagaing, and Magway, livestock have been affected, Veterinarians Without Borders (VWB) said.

Relief efforts are now underway to bring aid not only to people but also to the animals caught in this unfolding crisis.

International organizations such as the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Veterinarians Without Borders and Animals Australia are mobilizing emergency response teams. Their missions include delivering food, clean water, veterinary care, and shelter for animals impacted by the quake.

“Both wildlife and domestic animals may be injured from debris or trapped under fallen buildings,” IFAW said in a statement. “Our relationships in Myanmar date back to 2015, when our disaster response team helped rescue animals impacted by Cyclone Komen.”

Animals Australia has been working closely with Let’s Save The Strays Myanmar, a local organization that has been active for over four years in Yangon and Mandalay. They sterilize and vaccinate stray dogs and cats.

How do animals experience earthquakes?

Animals often sense earthquakes before humans do. Many studies and observational reports suggest that dogs, cats, birds, and elephants can detect subtle shifts in the earth’s vibration or changes in atmospheric pressure. 

In the moments before a quake, animals may act unusually—barking, fleeing, or showing signs of stress.

“We witnessed something remarkable before the earthquake struck. Several adult elephants, especially the grandmothers and nannies, began hitting the ground with the tips of their trunks, as if sensing something unusual,” Saengduean Lek Chailert, the founder of the Save Elephant Foundation in Thailand, said.

“Just two seconds later, birds perched in the trees and on the roofs scattered and flew away in a panic,” she added.

But once disaster strikes, animals are just as vulnerable as humans. They can suffer injuries, trauma, dehydration, and starvation. Many become separated from their human companions. Stray animals may be left without access to food or shelter for days.

“In a split second, the ground shook. All the baby elephants and the elephants playing in the mud cried out loudly. They ran together in a large group, seeking safety,” Chailert said about the elephants. She added that no elephant or human got injured.