“Animals will try to hide during the storm. If you have a building, let them in,” animal advocate Ambika Hiranandani said on social media, as she urged people to also think of stray animals when cyclone Tauktae hit late on Monday.
The cyclone on India’s west coast killed at least 19 people, damaged buildings, destroyed 160 roads and ripped electricity poles and 40,000 trees from the ground.
“Braving the storm on the streets is hard. They [animals] will also be starving and probably haven’t eaten since the rain began,” Hiranandani said.
“So when it stops [raining], please keep food out for the birds and step put to feed the dogs and cats,” she added.
“Please provide shelter to animals in these tough times. Please open your house if any animal is in pain,” the animal loving community Streetdogs of Bombay said on social media.
The Indian Meteorological Department categorized the storm as an “extremely severe” storm. The cyclone brought winds of up to 210 kmph (130 mph).
“Heavy rains and wind speeds of up to 100-110 kmph (62-68 mph) are continuing at many places, and the whole administration remains on standby to deal with any situation,” Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said on Tuesday.
Authorities were also worried about the state’s Asiatic lions, an endangered species found only in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat.
“There are around 40 lions in some patches in coastal Saurashtra, and we are monitoring them. Some lions have already moved to higher grounds,” Shyamal Tikadar, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests in Gujarat, told Reuters.
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