In recent years, the Pakistani province of Punjab has been repeatedly devastated by severe flooding, caused by extreme monsoon rains and the release of excess water from overflowing dams and rivers in India into the low-lying areas downstream. Millions of people have been displaced and hundreds have lost their lives. However, it was not only people who suffered from the rising waters. Animals across Punjab, on both the Pakistani and Indian sides of the border, were also severely affected. As Punjab is the agricultural heartland of the region, the drowning and starvation of livestock had devastating consequences for local communities.
On the Indian side of Punjab alone, more than 7,100 livestock animals officially drowned. In Pakistani Punjab, thousands more animals perished in the fast-rising, turbulent floodwaters, which reached several metres in depth. Millions of animals that survived the initial flooding were then left stranded without food. More than 250,000 animals in India and over 500,000 in Pakistan faced acute shortages of food and clean water after grasslands and crops were completely washed away. The contaminated, stagnant water also left weakened buffaloes, cows and goats highly vulnerable to disease.
Pakistan’s Livestock Department launched a historic rescue operation, evacuating more than 690,000 animals to higher ground. Veterinary teams treated around 55,000 animals and vaccinated more than 250,000 against infectious diseases. For the first time, the government also distributed free emergency fodder (vanda) on a large scale. However, government agencies simply do not have the capacity to reach every village. That is why charities such as Animal Heroes work alongside local communities to raise funds for emergency fodder for starving animals in the hardest-hit areas. One of those local communities is led by a remarkable man: Pastor Faisal Saleem.
An animal lover since childhood
Faisal Saleem leads a small Christian church in a village in Punjab, a region that has endured the effects of flooding for decades. The severe floods of 1978 were followed by the even more destructive floods of 1988, when every major river burst its banks and thousands of villages were submerged in what became the most catastrophic and deadly flooding in Punjab’s history. Further devastating floods struck in 1993 and again in 2025, inundating large parts of the region and claiming countless human and animal lives.
For Pastor Faisal, tackling this suffering is deeply personal. While he and his church organised emergency relief for people affected by the floods, he was profoundly moved by the suffering of the livestock, buffaloes and cows left behind without food or care.
“I’ve been an animal lover since childhood,” says Pastor Faisal. “While distributing food parcels to flood victims, I saw buffaloes and other animals that were hungry too. That touched me deeply. I also once saw a dog that had been hit by a car. It was paralysed and crying out in pain. The suffering of these animals inspired me to continue helping them.”
From local relief to international cooperation
That deep compassion prompted Pastor Faisal to seek international support on his own initiative through organisations such as Animal Heroes. Much of his daily life revolves around serving his community. He mobilises members of his church and fellow villagers to organise and distribute emergency fodder to animals in need. As a result, his Christian faith and his humanitarian work are closely intertwined.
Thanks to dedicated people like Pastor Faisal, emergency aid reaches villages that are difficult for large aid organisations and government agencies to access. His commitment demonstrates that meaningful change often begins with one person who refuses to turn away from suffering, whether it affects people or animals.
