Animals in war zones face abandonment, starvation, injury, and death alongside human populations. Organisations like FOUR PAWS and Humane Society International respond to animal welfare emergencies in conflict areas.
Animal welfare in conflict zones involves both individual welfare emergencies - evacuation, treatment, feeding - and systemic welfare failures from infrastructure collapse. Zoo animals unable to leave their enclosures in bombardment experience extreme fear stress. Companion animals abandoned by fleeing families face prolonged suffering from exposure and starvation. Livestock without veterinary access develop untreated disease. Emergency welfare response organisations that can operate in conflict areas provide direct welfare benefit, but access is constrained by security. Long-term welfare improvements require post-conflict support for veterinary infrastructure and animal care capacity rebuilding.