Animals in Emergencies

Animals in Emergencies: Learning from the Christchurch Earthquakes is an essential resource for understanding the impact of natural disasters on our beloved pets and local wildlife. In the wake of the devastating 2010 Canterbury earthquakes, this enlightening book chronicles the often-overlooked experiences of animals during crises. Featuring expert insights from veterinarians, rescue professionals, and dedicated volunteers, it highlights the distressing but crucial role animals play in the aftermath of emergencies. Encounter powerful narratives that explore the challenges faced by companion animals, including dogs, cats, birds, and small mammals, as well as the plight of urban wildlife such as hedgehogs and seabirds. Discover compelling accounts that reveal both the heartbreaking realities and uplifting stories of survival that emerged from this tragedy. This book underscores the significance of preparations for animal welfare in emergencies, offering practical advice for pet owners and animal advocates alike. With a focus on human-animal bonds, Animals in Emergencies serves as a reminder of the responsibility we hold to protect those who rely on us during times of crisis. Enhance your knowledge of animal rescue and disaster response with this impactful read, ensuring that we never forget to include animals in emergency planning and recovery efforts.

Author: Annie Potts and Donelle Gadenne Publisher: Canterbury University Press
Bind: paperback
Dimensions: 170 x 230 mm
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 20-11-2014

After the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that shook Canterbury on 4 September 2010, the news media were quick to report, with understandable relief, that no lives had been lost. In fact, this first quake killed at least 3000 chickens, eight cows, one dog, a lemur and 150 aquarium fish, and that was only the first of a series of even more catastrophic quakes that were to follow, in which many humans and animals perished. Animals in Emergencies: Learning from the Christchurch Earthquakes provides a record of what happened to the animals during and after these quakes, and asks what we can learn from these events and our response to them. The accounts of professionals and volunteers involved in the rescue, shelter and advocacy of the city's animals post-quakes are presented in the first part of the book, and are followed by the tales of individual animals. These accounts provide an honest and compelling historical record of how Christchurch's seismic activity affected human-animal relationships in both positive and negative ways. We share our lives with a variety of companion animals, including dogs, cats,horses, fish, birds, rats, rabbits, guinea pigs and turtles, and the stories of how the Canterbury earthquakes affected these animals are absorbing, sometimes heart-breaking and often heart-warming. The book also reports on the fate of urban wildlife such as hedgehogs, eels and seabirds, in the aftermath of liquefaction and other damage caused by more than 20,000 aftershocks since the first major earthquake, and considers the particular risks to animals most vulnerable when disasters strike - those confined on farms and in laboratories. Animals in Emergencies shows the importance of human-animal relationships for healing and rebuilding damaged lives, reminding us that as our animals help us cope during times of crisis, they also depend on us. This book urges us not to overlook animals in emergencies and provides helpful and practical advice on how best to prepare for their safety and welfare should the worst happen.