Yogyakarta- Association of Indonesian Epidemiology Vets (AEVI) plans to arrange procedure of cattle rescue at disaster-prone areas to be carried out throughout Indonesia. That is intended to reduce the emergence of cattle victims as disaster occurs. It is done because many cattle become victims in Merapi eruption year 2010 in Yogyakarta and Central Java. This emerged in AEVI congress which was held from 13-14 December 2010 at Faculty of Veterinary Medicine UGM.
General Chairman of AEVI, Prof. Dr. drh. Setyawan Budiharta, said that cattle rescue up to now gets little attention in national disaster management program. This is because there is no standard procedure to be carried out officially by related agencies in disaster handling. “There is no readiness from vets to face a disaster,” Setyawan said in the sideline of the congress, Tuesday (14/12).
According to the professor of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine UGM, the readiness of vets is needed in various disasters such as tsunami, flood, earthquake and volcanic eruption. The procedure is not only done in disaster period but also before disaster and after disaster. “All of these need to be coordinated by the stakeholders who are involved,” he said.
Setyawan admitted that the experience of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine UGM in handling Merapi cattle can be great capital to arrange procedure of vets’ readiness in handling and rescuing cattle at disaster location. For Java Island, cattle rescue is a part of disaster handling because the majority of people in villages are breeders.
“Don’t be surprised if it is difficult to evacuate cattle with the owners. While evacuating, in the morning or afternoon they will see the condition of their cattle at home,” he said.
With the procedure of cattle rescue, it is very possible for the coordination of various competent parties to evacuate cattle to a location near feed source and their owner’s house.
Meanwhile, Chairman 1 of AEVI, Dr. drh. Anak Agung Gde Putra, SH, said that procedure of cattle handling at disaster location will be finished in the middle of next year. It is planned that the draft procedure will be proposed to the government to be made the national procedure. “We are attempting to finish it next year,” said the former Head of BPPV Regional VI Denpasar.
The AEVI congress this time was opened by presenting several epidemiology vets experts from all over Indonesia. They are from Vets Research Agency, Technical Operational Unit in Animal Health, Quality Testing and Animal Medicine Certification Agency and Pharmacy Vets Center. In the congress, Agung said that it will also discuss about the improvement of epidemiologist’s competence in eradicating, preventing and controlling infectious animal disease. “Most of our members work in government institutions,” he said.