Natural disasters create acute welfare crises for animals. Integrating animal welfare into disaster preparedness and response saves lives and reduces suffering.
Animal welfare in disasters encompasses companion animal evacuation, livestock emergency management, and wildlife rescue following natural disasters. The human-animal bond means that effective disaster response for people requires integrating animal welfare planning: people who cannot evacuate with their animals either stay and risk their own lives or leave pets behind to suffer. Livestock including cattle, horses, and poultry require evacuation routes and emergency sheltering that standard disaster plans often overlook. Wildlife displaced or injured by fires, floods, and storms require specialist wildlife rescue capacity that must be planned and resourced in advance of need.