How tens of thousands of animals died in the floods in northern Italy Man rams the barrier at the White House with a pickup

In recent days, a storm has wreaked havoc in the northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna. Due to heavy rainfall, rivers and canals overflowed their banks and several villages and towns were flooded. According to the latest information, more than 36,000 people had to be evacuated and 14 people were killed.

But not only the people of the region suffer the devastating damage of the storm. The animals were even more affected, especially farm animals – according to the animal protection organization “Essere Animali” (“Being Animals”), tens of thousands died in the floods. Those are the details.

Masses of dead chickens

In San Lorenzo in Noceto, a suburb of the town of Forli, the floods caused devastating damage to a chicken farm. The bodies of water entered three buildings in which the birds were kept. The result: more than 60,000 chickens drowned.

The one in San Lorenzo in Noceto is by far the worst affected poultry farm, but by no means the only one. According to official information, about 400 establishments with chickens or turkeys have been affected.

Pigs cannot escape

Many pigs are also kept in Emilia Romagna, the birthplace of Parma ham. Many of them also did not survive the storm, although they are actually considered good swimmers. “It was a disaster,” veterinarian Matteo Galliani told “Il Post” about the death of the animals.

“They purposely live in institutions from which they cannot escape.” So the pigs were deprived of the chance to get to safety.

A farm in Faenza was particularly hard hit, with about 600 pigs dying. The owner of the facility, Paolo Mazzotti, told Il Post that everything was moving so fast that nothing more could be done for the animals.

“The alarm came, but the water came very quickly,” he describes the situation. “The force of the flood washed away everything, including our security measures. So all we could do was wait for the worst to pass.” As the water level dropped over the next 24 hours, many animals could only be found dead in the mud.

Major search after park flood

In the Franco Agosto Park in Forli, the rabbits and turtles attract many children. The storm has now almost completely destroyed their facilities, many animals have not survived. “There are so many dead rabbits, we can’t even estimate how many there are,” says the Made in Bunny association, which manages the park. The photos are devastating, it says on Facebook.

Now helpers are trying to find the animals that survived. For example, a rabbit managed to climb a tree and escape the floods. Other animals that have been removed from the mud and are now being cared for are also shown on social media.

Other animals affected

In addition to chickens, pigs and rabbits, the storm also affected many other animals. Some of the approximately 27,000 horses that live in the region were also surprised by the water masses. Their advantage over the pigs: Many of them were not caged and could try to extricate themselves from their predicament by swimming. “We found a horse that had been in the water for three days and was still able to eat,” says veterinarian Galliani.

In addition to livestock, many bees also suffered significant damage. According to the latest information, about 45,000 hives have been affected, many of which have been destroyed.

(dab)