Welfare of Animals in Flood Events

Flood events cause mass displacement and death among wild and domestic animals, with welfare impacts that scale with the frequency and severity of flooding events.

Key Facts

Flooding events displace billions of soil invertebrates and ground-nesting animals
The 2011 Queensland floods killed an estimated 600,000 livestock
Domestic animals displaced by floods experience acute stress and high mortality without rescue
Many flood-affected animals survive initial inundation but die from disease and starvation afterward
FEMA now requires state emergency plans to include companion animal evacuation provisions

Welfare Considerations

Flood welfare harms are both acute (drowning, hypothermia, injury) and prolonged (starvation, disease, displacement). Wild animals lose burrows, nests, and foraging habitat simultaneously. Livestock trapped by rising water face drowning or prolonged standing in contaminated floodwater, causing disease and foot problems. Post-flood disease (leptospirosis, salmonellosis) spreads through displaced animal populations. Emergency responses that include animals save both animal and human welfare outcomes.

What You Can Do

Include animals in your household flood evacuation plan
Support animal rescue operations during flood emergencies through targeted donations
Advocate for animal inclusion in local emergency management planning
Donate to ASPCA Disaster Response Fund for ongoing flood rescue capacity