Armed conflict creates devastating animal welfare emergencies for cattle and other livestock, requiring both immediate humanitarian response and long-term system rebuilding.
Cattle welfare in conflict zones is a hidden humanitarian crisis - animals cannot flee, advocate for themselves, or access care when systems collapse around them. The most effective welfare interventions combine immediate emergency response - veterinary treatment, emergency feed, evacuation where possible - with advocacy for the protection of livestock as civilian assets under international humanitarian law. Long-term welfare recovery requires rebuilding veterinary infrastructure, restocking with locally adapted breeds, and supporting farmers to re-establish sustainable production. Organisations such as SPANA, which operates specifically in developing countries and conflict zones, provide essential services that would not otherwise exist. Supporting these organisations is one of the most direct ways to improve cattle welfare in the world's most challenging contexts.