Natural disasters and human-caused emergencies create acute animal welfare crises that require coordinated, planned responses to prevent mass suffering of both domestic and wild animals.
Disasters create acute welfare emergencies for animals across all categories. Companion animals are abandoned or separated from owners in evacuations; livestock may be trapped in flooded barns or pastures; wildlife is displaced, injured, and orphaned. Without pre-planned emergency protocols, response is reactive, under-resourced, and chaotic. Good emergency animal welfare planning includes community evacuation plans that accommodate pets and livestock, pre-positioned rescue resources, trained animal rescue teams, and protocols for wildlife triage. The lessons from major disasters have driven improvements in legislation and planning, but implementation remains uneven.