Humans and pets impacted by recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria have received $100,000 in relief funding from two animal health groups.
The contribution, which was equally donated by the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF), the charitable arm of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), and Merck Animal Health, will be given to the Turkish Veterinary Medical Association and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), which are already working with organizations on the ground in both Turkey and Syria.
More than 50,000 people were killed in the Feb. 6 earthquakes, AVMA reports. Additionally, according to Dr. Murat Arslan, president of the Turkish Veterinary Medical Association, 90 percent of the veterinary clinics in the affected region have been destroyed.
“We lost many of our colleagues and their families,” he says. “We will make a great effort to reconstruct the clinics here.”
With shelters overwhelmed and veterinary care and supplies limited, the ability to care for animals, including livestock critical to the food supply, has been severely impacted, AVMA adds.
“We stand united with the people and pets of Turkey and Syria who are facing a humanitarian crisis after the recent devastating earthquakes,” says Christine Royal, DVM, vice president of the U.S. companion animal and equine business unit for Merck Animal Health. “We…hope these funds go a long way in protecting the health and welfare of animals and their caretakers who are still recovering from this terrible disaster.”
“A disaster of this magnitude requires an international response, and we are very grateful to Merck Animal Health for joining with us in offering support to our colleagues and the people of Turkey and Syria who have experienced such suffering,” adds AVMF chair and AVMA past president, José Arce, DVM.
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