Animal Welfare in Emergency Response: Natural Disasters and Animals

Natural disasters leave animals among the most vulnerable victims, and emergency response planning increasingly recognises the need for coordinated animal welfare provisions.

Key Facts

Hurricane Katrina in 2005 demonstrated that many Americans refused to evacuate without their companion animals; the PETS Act 2006 required states to include animals in disaster plans
Large animal rescue in floods and wildfires requires specialist equipment, training, and coordination between animal welfare organisations and emergency services
Livestock farmers face enormous welfare challenges in natural disasters including wildfire, flood, and earthquake that can trap or injure thousands of animals without adequate rescue infrastructure
Wildlife populations experience acute welfare harm during and after natural disasters including loss of habitat, food scarcity, and increased vulnerability to predators
FOUR PAWS, International Fund for Animal Welfare, and World Animal Protection deploy emergency animal rescue teams globally following major disaster events

Welfare Considerations

Animal welfare in emergencies is a welfare priority that has historically been neglected in disaster planning frameworks. The Katrina experience demonstrated that companion animal welfare is also a human safety issue — people who refuse evacuation to protect their animals put themselves at risk. Integrating animal welfare provisions into emergency planning is therefore both a welfare and a human safety improvement. Large animal rescue and wildlife welfare in disasters require specialist capacity that is only available when it is planned and resourced before emergencies occur.

What You Can Do

Include companion animals in your personal emergency plan including evacuation routes, carriers, and emergency supplies
Advocate for animal welfare provisions to be included in local and national emergency response plans
Support organisations that provide specialist large animal and wildlife rescue in natural disasters
Donate to emergency animal welfare funds when major disasters occur
Push for companion animal evacuation facilities to be included in emergency sheltering plans