Armed conflict devastates livestock populations through direct killing, displacement, disease, and infrastructure destruction. The welfare of billions of animals caught in conflict zones is a largely invisible humanitarian issue.
Livestock in conflict zones experience a convergence of welfare harms: sudden changes to routine, loss of veterinary care, food and water insecurity, and exposure to violence. Dairy animals not milked regularly develop painful mastitis within days. Poultry in intensive systems die rapidly without feed and water. Beyond individual suffering, the destruction of animal agriculture assets in conflict regions compounds human suffering by eliminating food security and livelihoods -- making livestock welfare and humanitarian response deeply interconnected.