Natural disasters kill and injure millions of animals annually. Coordinated disaster response for animals is an increasingly recognized component of emergency management with both welfare and public health dimensions.
Disaster response for animals is both a welfare imperative and a public safety issue. When people refuse to evacuate without their animals — a well-documented phenomenon — they place themselves and rescuers at additional risk. Including animals in evacuation planning reduces this barrier and saves human and animal lives. Farm animals in disaster zones face particular welfare risks: cattle and horses who survive initial flooding may suffer for days from injuries and lack of food and water before assistance reaches them. Wildlife casualties from disasters are largely uncounted and unaddressed, representing significant welfare harm that receives minimal institutional response. Building the infrastructure — trained volunteers, appropriate vehicles, temporary shelter capacity — for comprehensive animal disaster response is a welfare investment with broad social benefit.