Disaster: Dam collapse puts thousands of animals at severe risk in Brazil

São Paulo, 29 January – A dam operated by the mining company Vale collapsed on Friday, 25, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, affecting thousands of animals.

World Animal Protection is on the ground working with local authorities to urgently help cattle, pigs, dogs and cats in need. The charity estimates that thousands of animals are affected and will be suffering, but official numbers are not yet available.

Brumadinho is a rural town where many animals such as dogs and cats live within the local community and the Brazilian Institute of Geographic and Statistics (IBGE) estimates that around 15,000 cattle, 3,000 dairy cows and 10,000 pigs are raised in the area. Rivers nearby are home to thousands of wild mammals, reptiles and fish, raising concerns that the impact to animals and communities will be devastating.

World Animal Protection is with a team of veterinarians to immediately assist the animals. This will include: 

Conduct an immediate assessment by visiting shelters where people have fled with their animals   

Provide assistance to animals injured and meeting basic needs for survival  

Provide emergency vet kit items for animals in disaster zones, once safe to do so, which will include dressings and treatment for wounded animals, treatment of diarrhoea, pneumonia and other diseases  

Assess the wider and longer-term needs for the animals in partnership with the government.

Helena Pavese, World Animal Protection country director in Brazil says:

"Seeing the impact of the Dam collapse here is devastating and our work is to help those animals in dire need; injured, without food or water and at high risk of disease.

“After our assessment, we will be asking for state authorities in Brazil to create and implement strategies to prevent animal’s fatality and injuries in the future by including animals in their disasters risk reduction plans”.

The incident comes after another mining dam collapsed in Minas Gerais in 2015, killing 19 people in what was Brazil’s worst environmental disaster. That dam was operated by Samarco, which at the time of the disaster was jointly owned by Vale and the Anglo-Australian mining firm BHP Billiton. Although the dam that collapsed on Friday is smaller than the previous disaster, human and animal loss and damages may be much greater as the area is more densely populated.

While disaster response rightly prioritizes people’s immediate needs, the long-term recovery from disasters is inextricably linked with the well-being of their animals. Communities in this area heavily rely on agriculture to make ends meet and in this critical stage, saving animals affected by the tsunami will provide stability for their future.    

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Notes to editors

World Animal Protection office in Brazil is located in São Paulo, which is 545 kilometers away from Brumadinho.

About 1 billion of the world’s poorest people rely on horses, livestock and other animals for food, transport and their livelihoods. Domestic animals play their part too, providing valued emotional support and companionship.

World Animal Protection has been working actively with governments, communities and individuals in disaster management since 1964. We encourage governments to adopt disaster strategies that include animals. Out of 250 disaster responses over 54 years, we have provided aid to over 7 million animals. 

Helena Pavese, World Animal Protection country director in Brazil says: Seeing the impact of the Dam collapse here is devastating and our work is to help those animals in dire need; injured, without food or water and at high risk of disease.