With floods ravaging Kerala and Coorg in Karnataka, animal rescuers are being inundated with distress calls from desperate people who were forced to evacuate their homes without their pets.  The Hyderabad-based Humane Society International/India has set up an emergency helpline to coordinate animal rescue throughout Kerala. It is collaborating with Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA), based in Bangalore, for rescue efforts in Karnataka's hill district of Coorg.  Many rescue boats in the early days of the disaster in Kerala refused to take animals, leaving behind hundreds of dogs and cats to fend for themselves, especially in areas such as Kochi, Kottayam, and Alappuzha where the pet population is high.

"People are desperately worried about their pets and our Kerala helpline is ringing day and night with pleas for animal rescue," said Rahul Sehgal, HSI India's senior director of Companion Animals & Engagement. Every day, teams of rescuers are wading waist-deep through the leech-infested water to check the remains of dwellings for stranded animals, he said.