DART for Animals in Disasters (AID)

Distressed Animal Response Team

Over the years, human-dominated landscapes have seen an increasing number of animals getting caught in extreme situations. Though a great number of resources are available for human rescues, the expertise required in safely rescuing animals from difficult situations was a gaping vacuum, that is now been filled by the DART, an elite mobile technical rescue team for Animal Emergencies and Disaster Response. It operates 24/7, 365 days a year, and rescues all kinds of animals, domestic or wild.

AID Alert

Our team receives information about an animal in distress (AID Alert) either directly from the public community through our organization RESQ Charitable Trust's helplines or we get called in by governmental bodies like the Forest Department, Animal Husbandry, Fire Department, Local Municipal Corporations and Village Gram panchayats to assist in animal rescue. We are deployed for various kinds of technical animal rescues and disaster responses across the Pune District and several parts of Maharashtra.

The Team

Our team consists of professionals trained in search and rescue operations equipped with the knowledge, skill, and gear required for animal handling, safe retrieval, and post-rescue management. We have members on our team who have combined their passion for rescuing animals with their extensive experience in rock climbing and rappelling as well as veterinarians and species-specific animal rescuers whose expertise in animal handling and behavior is key to a successful technical rescue operation.

Types of Animals and Situations

From urban areas, the maximum calls we receive are for birds, snakes, dogs, cats, and cattle. From rural areas especially the ones that lie near forest land, a lot of domestic animals (dogs, cattle) and wildlife (leopards, deer, hyenas, monkeys, snakes) who thrive in agricultural lands are commonly reported - when they either require rescue or are a part of a conflict scenario. Sometimes the landscape is not clearly defined and The DART Team finds itself in uncommon situations, like a crocodile we rescued from a toxic sewer canal or an Indian Bison who strayed into urban areas that we helped safely divert into a nearby forest area. What remains constant is the team's ability to revisit strategy, adapt, improvise and never give up on an animal in need of help.

DART Operations

When an animal gets stuck in an extreme situation, the critical components of rescue are - Swift Response > Trained Personnel > Strategic Plan > Professional Equipment > Patience and perseverance!

Once rescued, the animal undergoes an evaluation to gauge if medical intervention is required or if it is fit for immediate release. For wildlife that may have fallen in wells or have their limbs caught in hunting traps, our veterinarians along with Forest Department officials ascertain if post-rescue it should be immediately released in a safe habitat or whether it requires medical observation, treatment, or surgery at the RESQ Wildlife Treatment Transit Centre before its eventual release.

Natural Disasters
During natural disasters like the floods in Kerala in 2018, Pune Sangli Floods in 2019, Cyclone Nisarga in 2020 as well as challenging rescues during the COVID-19 pandemic, our team was able to rescue scores of animals safely and efficiently owing to their knowledge of technical rescue methods and professional equipment, which has been graciously donated to RESQ over the years.

Help get us things we really need!

You can view a list of the things we really need. Some of them are available on Amazon and you can send them directly to us, while some of them need to be procured from vendors directly. Some things cost nothing, and are items that may not be use to you at home, but extremely useful for animal under rehabilitation and care.