Wildfires and smoke from climate-driven fires increasingly cause acute and chronic welfare harm to farmed and wild animals across fire-prone regions worldwide.
Fire and smoke welfare harm is intensifying with climate change. Wild animals die from burns, smoke inhalation, and starvation in burned landscapes. Farmed animals cannot self-evacuate and die in fires or from smoke inhalation if not removed. Livestock that survive may carry respiratory damage, burns, and physiological stress for weeks. Welfare-conscious emergency planning requires animal-specific fire response protocols and veterinary capacity for mass casualty events.