Animals are being rushed to safety in Indonesia following the devastating Mt Semeru eruption

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

From sunrise to dusk, veterinarians try to rescue and treat animals suffering from burns, smoke inhalation, and other injuries.

Dr. Sugeng Widodo just concluded his latest shift working in the shadow of Mount Semeru, an active volcano on the Indonesian island of Java that erupted on Saturday night after torrential rains collapsed its crater.

The veterinarian has been volunteering at the disaster site since the eruption, which shot an ash cloud 4 kilometres (2.48 miles) into the air and triggered devastating volcanic mudflows, killing more than 30 people and leaving scores missing and at least 3,000 more displaced.

 

Widodo is the coordinator of the Indonesian Veterinary Medical Association's (IVMA) East Java II volunteer team, which has been working to assist and rescue some of the volcano's frequently forgotten victims: the area's animals and livestock.

The veterinarians, along with a small team of three to four other volunteers, work with veterinary paramedics from sunrise to sunset to remove and treat animals suffering from burns, smoke inhalation, and other injuries.

"I was in Supiturang village today."
He told Al Jazeera, "We've evacuated 150 cows and 200 sheep."

 

"So far, we've discovered 17 dead cows and 50 dead sheep."
The owners of several damaged animals that couldn't be saved sold them right away."

The sand mining industry and farming are both well-known in the area surrounding the volcano.
The mountain's lush surroundings, as well as the fertile volcanic soil it produces and the lush vegetation, make it a perfect place to pasture cattle, goats, and sheep.

 

‘This will be the day I die’

 

Many of the dead and missing were farmers who were on the mountain's slopes and were either unable or unable to abandon their animals and flee in time, according to Marzuki Suganda, a 30-year-old truck driver at a local sand mine.

Suganda, who was driving home from work at a sand mine on the day of the eruption, said the sky darkened before volcanic boulders shot through the air, striking him in the head and back and knocking him to the ground.

"I thought to myself, 'This is the day I die.'
I was prepared.
'It'll be fine,' I reasoned.
He said, "I was born here in Curuk Kobokan village, and I'll die here as well."

 

"Death and life flashed in front of my eyes."

As he searched for a place to take refuge, Suganda discovered that there was nowhere to go because homes had been demolished by falling debris, forcing him to kneel by the side of the road and shield his head with his motorcycle helmet and hands.
The dense ash that descended on the communities around Semeru buried animals grazing by the roadside.

 

Suganda's home was also devastated by the eruption.
Under the weight and heat of the volcanic ash, the tiles broke, and his house's roof was replaced by a massive hole.

"It's no longer possible to live in my house."
"It's traumatised me," he admitted.

 

Suganda, his wife, and their five-year-old daughter have taken refuge in a neighbouring hamlet with other district residents as they wait to be permanently evacuated and relocated.

Eleven goats are also living with the residents who attempted in vain to preserve their cattle when the eruption began.