Thiruvananthapuram: With floods ravaging Kerala and Karnataka's Kodagu district, animal rescuers are being inundated with distress calls from desperate owners who were forced to evacuate their homes without their pets.

The Hyderabad-based Humane Society International/ India (HSI) has set up an emergency helpline to coordinate animal rescue across Kerala. It is collaborating with Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (Cupa), based in Bangalore, for rescue efforts in Karnataka's hill district of Kodagu.

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, HIS senior director of companion animals and engagement.

Every day, teams of rescuers are wading waist-deep through leech-infested water to check the remains of dwellings for stranded animals, he said.

"Many of the animals have now starved for several days. So although they are traumatised, they are visibly relieved to hear a human voice," Sehgal added.

"There is still a huge rescue operation taking place, but once the water subsides we will start to reach animals who have been completely cut off, and we predict we will see large numbers needing treatment for skin disease, tick fever, distemper and thousands displaced on the streets," he said.

Pet owners are using WhatsApp to send photos of their animals and the location of their near-submerged houses. PTI