Animal Protection a Lifeline for Rural LatAm Families Sophie Hares - Thomson Reuters Foundation
go to original June 29, 2017

Marechal Deodoro districts in Nothern Brazil was affected by floods. World Animal Protection provided aid to 8,100 of the most affected animals. (Reuters)

In Latin America, where many countries are threatened by hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, wildfires and volcanic eruptions, farmers should identify evacuation routes for their animals, as well as emergency feed sources such as rented grazing land, said Juan Carlos Murillo Garcia of World Animal Protection.

Simple techniques like putting animals on rooftops during floods can help save them too, he added.

"To access food for their animals [...] farmers locate their farms or homes pretty close to high-risk areas like river banks or mountains that can slide down," said Murillo. "Often they can barely survive day-to-day and do little to prepare."

Strategies used in the Philippines to dig out underground storm shelters for pigs could also work in hurricane-prone areas such as the Caribbean, said Gerardo Huertas of World Animal Protection, which works with governments, local vets, volunteers and communities in disaster zones.

The organization is partnering with rescue services to include animals in evacuation plans and developing an online risk management toolkit for vets with advice and case studies, said Huertas.

Experts say disaster strategies should also include evacuation plans for pets, as many owners put themselves or rescue workers in danger by refusing to leave their homes without their animals or by going back to rescue them.

Protecting livestock and working animals is one of the goals set out in the Sendai Framework, the world’s blueprint for dealing with disasters, making it an issue nations must address in their disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020. But few developing states have laid out comprehensive measures to date.

In Latin America, Mexico is one of the few to have included animals in its disaster plans, along with Costa Rica, which was the first to set up an emergency fund for animals in natural disasters and is now sharing its experiences across the region.

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