Animal Welfare Emergency Management (AWEM) is a developing area of emergency management. This term is used to describe the management of animal welfare needs through all phases of emergency management. It is a critical component of modern emergency management due to the complex bond between humans and animals. Evacuation non-compliance of pet owners in recent catastrophic disasters has been attributed to this bond (Heath et al, 2001a). Today, most veterinary schools do not include AWEM in their curriculum even though AWEM is an essential part of the veterinary profession's obligation to both animals and humans (Madigan and Dacre, 2009).
‘The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated’ (Gandhi).
Animal welfare in disasters
New Zealand is one of the most advanced countries when it comes to disaster preparedness, monitoring and warnings (Squance, 2011). However, until recently animals have not been considered in emergency management planning and the animal health profession has had little direct involvement in emergency management. Production animals are particularly at risk, as they occupy approximately 50% of the land mass of New Zealand. Additionally, the country's economy relies heavily on the animal health industry as more than 42% of New Zealand's merchandise exports are derived from animal products (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 2011).
Nations must take heed of the effects of international disasters such as Hurricane Katrina (USA) in 2005, the 2008 cyclone (Nargis) in Myanmar (Burma), and New Zealand's disasters, such as the 2004 Manawatu foods, subsequent droughts, the Canterbury earthquake 2010, Christchurch earthquake 2011, and the Queensland, South East Australia foods 2011, as they all had a devastating impact on animals. For example cyclone Nargis caused a huge number of stock losses and human deaths in a country where 77% of the population are involved in agriculture (personal communication, Dacre, 2011), resulting in adverse economic effects. Myanmar already had infectious diseases present before the cyclone but as a result of the disaster the remaining animals were stressed. The resultant high cortisol levels depleted their immune defence, hence the probability of an infectious disease outbreak became a reality.
Floods are occurring more frequently and are noted internationally as the biggest disaster having detrimental effects (Guha-Sapir, 2011). Generally the focus is on the short-term effects of such events and the long-term effects are forgotten. Particularly in developing countries malnutrition can occur due to long-term effects of foods, although it is rarely documented (Guha-Sapir, 2011). It is hoped that New Zealand has enough resources to avoid being in the same predicament as Myanmar, although isolation from neighbouring countries that may also be affected means that they may take a significant period of time to respond to New Zealand's needs. Floods in the Manawatu (New Zealand) in 2004 are estimated to have cost $400 million, with the national economic effects of droughts estimated to have reduced gross output by 12% ($760 million) between 2005/2006 and 2007/2008 (Bevin, 2007). The ever-increasing climate change is expected to impact significantly on the frequency, intensity and magnitude of these adverse events (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 20011).
In today's society companion animals are considered to be integral members of the family. The human–animal bond is a powerful force, helping provide companionship for many individuals and creating positive impacts on mental and physical health. Expectations of the standards of care of companion animals are approaching, and in some cases exceeding, those within human medicine (Dunning et al, 2009). Current research has revealed that people are just as likely to suffer from depression from losing their pet in a disaster, as they do from losing their home (Hunt et al, 2008).
Planning for animals during a disaster is ultimately a human issue. There have been many well-documented instances of evacuation non-compliance during emergencies, as pet owners refuse to leave their pets behind (Heath et al, 2001a and 2001b; Shiley, 2006; Hunt et al, 2008; Glassey, 2010).
Learning from Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina serves as a reminder for the necessity of considering animals in disaster planning to avoid compounding the emotional and economic toll on individuals and communities, which are already impacted by devastating loss or injury (Heath and Linnabary, 1993). Many people refused to evacuate from an area because they were forced to leave their pets behind or they ignored cordoned of areas to go back into unsafe zones to rescue their pets (Irvine, 2009). Heath (2001a) characterized the risk factors for household evacuation failure, pet evacuation failure and pet rescue attempts during a natural disaster. More than 80% of people who re-entered the evacuated area did so to rescue their pets. Effectively, therefore, forcing owners to leave their pets behind can lead to putting the general public at risk and create civil unrest as documented by Shiley (2006) following Hurricane Katrina.
During Hurricane Katrina the public transportation (in the form of buses and inflatable boats) that took the residents to welfare shelters, refused to allow pets on board (Shiley, 2006). Many owners were distraught when the authorities made them leave pets behind. In one incident the authorities demanded a group that was taking refuge in a church with their pets, to go to the welfare shelter with the agreement that the authorities would look after their pets (Shiley, 2006). The authorities did not keep this promise. It was reported that the owners were not out of ear-shot when the authorities opened fire on the pets and killed them all (Shiley, 2006). Images of the pets revealed that the authorities took random shots at the pets and did not humanely euthanize them. The graphic pictures were released via the media, which elicited a highly emotional public response.
In excess of 50 000 companion animals were stranded during Hurricane Katrina, due to forced abandonment and 80–90% of these pets subsequently died (Shiley, 2006). Of those live remaining pets 10 000 to 15 000 were rescued which led to the largest animal welfare rescue mission in the USA (Anderson and Anderson, 2006; Irvine, 2009). Only 2000 to 3000 (Glassey, 2010) pets were reunited with their owners, leaving many animals having to be rehomed or destroyed.
In addition to the companion animal deaths, over 600 million production animals, mainly intensively farmed animals such as chickens, were killed in horrific circumstances (Irvine, 2009). Because of the large scale of this disaster and the number of human and animal lives lost due to the requirement to leave animals behind, specific legislation known as the Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act 2006 was passed by the United States Congress. The PETS Act requires a city or state to submit a plan detailing its disaster preparedness programme and include how they will accommodate households with pets or service animals to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Some countries are following the lead of the US, which is legislating for the preparation of disaster planning for animals as well as people; New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and many other countries are yet to follow.
AWEM in New Zealand
Glassey (2010) undertook an online survey of two regions in New Zealand, which showed that over 56% of respondents indicated that they would not evacuate if they could not take their pets with them and 79% were not prepared to leave their pets behind during an evacuation. Similar findings have been reported in Australia following online surveys conducted after the 2009 Victorian bushfires (Glassey, 2010).
Awareness and preparation are vital for coping with any unexpected disaster or emergency. As New Zealand is extremely vulnerable to the occurrence of natural disasters, namely flooding, earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions and extreme weather conditions (such as snow and fire), authorities need to be aware of the effect any such events would have on New Zealand society, including their pets. Animal owners have legal responsibility for their animals during an emergency, although emergency management plans should include an animal welfare emergency management plan within the human welfare plan, which fulfils the welfare needs of companion and production animals. In New Zealand, local authorities, such as animal control, have a responsibility for animal emergency welfare under the National Civil Defence Emergency Management Plan. Emergency services should have a vested interest in ensuring pets are considered during an evacuation to assist in evacuation compliance with pet owners.
Effects of disasters on animals
The National Hazardscape Report 2007 has identified hazards in New Zealand that have the potential to affect society, although there are disasters that can greatly affect the animal population that are deemed to have little to no consequence on the general population (e.g. drought and severe snow storms). However, Nusbaum et al (2007) have discussed the negative psychological effects (such as post traumatic syndrome) on farmers and veterinarians who are immersed in livestock depopulation and death, the extension of these effects into the rural community and their consequences upon the economy.
There are several emergencies for which an animal emergency welfare response may be required, including but not limited to: severe storms; cyclones; foods; earthquakes; volcanic eruptions; tsunami; hazardous material accidents; and fires (The Humane Society of the United States, 2000). All of these hazards have the ability to compromise shelter, food and water sources for animals. However, there is little literature on the effects of disaster on animals, and most of the links between hazards and the types of specific injuries and/or effects on animals are assumed. With this in mind, New Zealand hazards that are most likely to affect the welfare of animals have been extrapolated and the direct possible injuries or medical disorders have been identified below.
Floods and tsunami
Animals can drown or be stranded without shelter, food and suitable drinking water during foods or tsunami. Faeces, other bodily wastes, high concentrations of lead (as occurred in Hurricane Katrina) can leach into the environment and contaminate water supplies (Soric et al, 2008). Hazardous materials may be released, which make animals susceptible to chemical burns and poisonings if they ingest, inhale or absorb (through the skin or mucous membranes) the hazardous material (Soric et al, 2008).
Fires
Animals can be affected by smoke inhalation and burns. Blast injuries and explosions may result in injuries such as ruptured ear drums and penetrating wounds (Wingfield et al, 2009).
Earthquakes and landslides
Earthquakes and landslides can result in crush and cutting injuries, fractures, electrical burns and respiratory conditions. Livestock such as dairy cows are susceptible to mastitis, and therefore an increase in somatic cell counts due to disruption to milking, as occurred during the 2010 Canterbury (New Zealand) earthquake. Animals' behaviour can change if there is continuous seismic activity for extended periods of time. There is anecdotal evidence emerging from the Canterbury 2010 and Christchurch 2011 earthquakes (Figure 1) in New Zealand that owners from the affected region are seeking help from veterinarians and animal behaviourists in relation to unusual behaviour of their pets (personal communication, Blanks 2011). Most are presenting with nervous and neurotic behaviour disorders. This could be attributed to the owners' unease after continuous aftershocks.
Snow/ice storms, extreme temperatures and droughts
Extreme temperatures may cause hypothermia or hyperthermia and dehydration. Electrical burns may also occur if power lines are damaged by heavy snow/ice. These hazards can affect the animals' shelter, food and water supply and behaviour.
Volcanic eruption
A volcanic eruption may result in structural collapse of buildings. Food and water sources can be contaminated with volcanic ash. Particular components of volcanic ash can have detrimental effects on an animal's health such as eye, skin and lung damage. Volcanic lava can cause severe burns and volcanic gases can cause toxicities.
Hazardous materials
Animals are susceptible to chemical burns by direct contact and poisonings may occur due to ingestion or inhalation of the hazardous material.
Terrorism
Terrorism activity, such as a siege, can affect an animal's shelter, food and water supply. If explosions occur they have the potential to inflict multi-system, life-threatening blast injuries as a result of over-pressurization force impacting the body surface (Wightman and Gladish, 2001). Other injuries include penetrating wounds, blunt trauma, ruptured eardrums, loss of limbs, burns and eye irritations (from cement and fibreglass) (Gwaltney-Brant et al, 2003).
Escaped animals
In disasters the potential for animals to escape is high. This can lead to the separation of owners and animals and other concerns over animals that have escaped including:
- May threaten the public
- May wander onto roads, representing an increased risk to motorists
- May become disorientated leading to multiple issues such as increased aggression, injuries and loss of shelter, food and water.
Veterinary nurse involvement
How can veterinary nurses, become involved in AWEM? A study conducted by Squance (2011) on AWEM identified three broad roles required to fulfil all components of AWEM. They are:
- Policy/planning personnel
- Animal shelter personnel
- Animal rescue personnel
Emergency animal policy/planning personnel
Emergency animal policy/planning personnel are individuals who assist with the development of policies and AWEM plans at local, regional/state and national levels. Such personnel require background knowledge of animal welfare and emergency management to allow a synergistic relationship between these two normally separate areas. Veterinarians are commonly approached to fulfil this role due to their training and knowledge in animal health, husbandry and animal welfare (Madigan and Dacre, 2009), although many do not have experience in animal welfare emergency management (Squance, 2011). In order to begin an AWEM planning process, one must be able to understand the facets of the phases of emergency management. This understanding will facilitate a robust animal emergency management plan that will cover all phases of emergency management.
Emergency animal shelter personnel
Emergency animal shelter personnel are responsible for setting up temporary shelters for animals. This involves many different facets of shelter management, which includes, but is not limited to, registering animals on arrival, providing food, water, shelter and medical attention for animals, ensuring that all of the animals' welfare needs are met, and reunification of animals with their owners. Animals should be triaged as soon as they arrive at the shelter to assess their health status. Hence, shelters should ideally incorporate a veterinary medical section within, or close to the shelter.
Emergency animal rescue personnel
Emergency animal rescue personnel are involved in assisting owners evacuate before an event occurs, after an event occurs and rescuing animals that are abandoned, trapped in buildings or injured. There are two variations on these roles which require different skill sets. The personnel who assist owners during evacuation can do so with little AWEM experience, so many animal control officers and animal welfare inspectors can be called on to fulfil this role. After an event has occurred and animals are trapped in buildings (e.g. after structural collapse), in flooded waters or any environment that is deemed dangerous, rescue personnel require more specialist skills and knowledge to be able to fulfil this role. This group of personnel are usually from an animal rescue unit who have specialist training in this area. In New Zealand, they are required to work within the Co-ordinated Incident Management System (CIMS). This is an inter-agency incident management system which is activated during a disaster. It provides a set of management rules that is common to all emergency service providers. This means when different emergency services need to work together on an incident or disaster, they already share a standardized management structure, a standardized set of management principles, and a standardized system of information management. CIMS is mandated through the Civil Defence Emergency Act of 2002.
Conclusion
AWEM is an emerging area of emergency management. Understanding the intricate relationship between humans and animals is an important component of a comprehensive public health approach to emergency response and a critical element in promoting the resilience of individuals and communities. Animal welfare should be included in welfare, evacuation and transportation plans. There is a need for suitably trained personnel with the knowledge and skills to deliver AWEM. Veterinary nurses already have many valuable skills that can contribute to the delivery of AWEM in many areas. Although further specialists training is required in all three personnel areas identified (Figure 2).
AWEM is an emerging area therefore more research and publications are required to highlight the importance of AWEM. Planning for animals in disasters is planning for our future.
‘When the herds are dead, the end of human beings is not far behind
African Proverb
Key Points
- Animal Welfare Emergency Management (AWEM) is an emerging area of emergency management.
- AWEM describes the animal welfare needs through all phases of emergency/disaster management.
- AWEM is a critical component of modern emergency management due to the complex bond between humans and animals and how this attributes to evacuation compliance of pet owners during disasters.
- Three broad personnel roles have been defined, which are required to fulfil AWEM components:
- Policy/planning
- Emergency animal shelter
- Emergency animal rescue
- Veterinary nurses can contribute to AWEM in many ways, although further specialist training is required.