Quick Facts...
- Both livestock and humans can become disoriented after a disaster.
- Make surroundings as familiar as possible to aid in livestock readjustment.
- Livestock management priorities should include getting stabilized.
- Post-disaster recovery often leads to pre-disaster mitigation.
Many people in the United States are moving back to rural communities.
For many reasons, these new rural residents often desire a lifestyle that
includes owning horses, cattle, goats, ducks, chickens, sheep, llamas,
alpacas and others. As people move closer to their natural resources,
they also move farther away from the protection offered by urban and suburban
infrastructure. It can be argued that rural living offers improved aesthetics,
lower noise levels, and the feel of more “elbow room.” These
characteristics come with the responsibility of handling a larger share
of emergencies that are often encountered in rural areas.
In most cases, the response time and resources in rural areas are greatly
reduced. Handling disasters, those catastrophic events which stretch the
capacity of communities, can only be approached with preparedness, pre-planned
reaction and post-event mitigation. During a disaster event, rural residents
often find their personal safety a large enough challenge without the
added burden of caring for livestock. This fact sheet discusses some basic
realities of livestock management after disasters occur. Please refer
to fact sheets 1.814, Caring for Livestock Before Disaster; and
1.815, Caring for Livestock During Disaster for additional information
on this topic
Priorities
Disasters, by nature, are catastrophic events that overwhelm the ability
of individuals, communities and regions. During such catastrophic events,
many things get damaged including transportation, communications, emotions
and thinking.
When dealing with livestock during emergencies, it is critical to re-establish
your priorities. The first priority should be your personal safety and
welfare, followed by the safety and welfare of other people, and finally
animals and property. If you are safe, you can do more to benefit animals.
If you are at risk, so is their welfare and health. Follow official instructions
for access and safety when reentering a disaster zone.
Seek and Own
The first logical step in caring for livestock and other animals is to
locate, control and provide for those animals. Locating animals often
is limited by transportation blockages from the disaster because normal
routes may not be available. Your local emergency manager, usually found
at an established incident command post, may have alternatives. If the
emergency manager is difficult to find, contact local law enforcement
for information. As you re-enter a disaster area, remember hazards may
still occur, including:
- downed power lines.
- flooded areas.
- unstable roads and highways.
- gas and utility leaks.
- debris and wreckage.
- vandals and looters.
Leave an itinerary of your search plan with local authorities and family
members. Travel slowly, be alert for hazards, and do not enter unsecured
areas. Take identification and livestock ownership documents with you as
you search. Official emergency responders often evacuate animals, so check
with authorities to see if your livestock has been moved to a holding facility
before you enter the disaster zone.
Sensitivity
Animals are like people in that they are emotionally affected by disasters.
Often violent impacts of disaster disorient and temporarily alter the
behavioral state of livestock. When, and if, you locate your animals,
realize that they may be upset, confused and agitated. They need help
finding their normal behavioral pattern. Here are some proven techniques
for doing this:
1. Handle livestock quietly, calmly and in a manner they are familiar.
2. Wear clothing and use vehicles that are familiar to them.
3. If possible, keep or reunite familiar animal groups with each other.
4. As soon as possible, place them in familiar settings or one which is
quiet, calm and
insulated from additional stimuli.
5. Soft music and familiar sounds may help calm livestock.
6. If possible, clean the animals (i.e., wipe out their eyes, mouths,
and nostrils).
7. If possible, move animals away from the residue of the disaster.
8. Treat wounds of injured animals so their comfort level improves.
Feed, Safety and Shelter
Animals and livestock often relate security to the familiarity of their
surroundings. In some cases, you may be able to return them to familiar
surroundings and enhance their recovery. Unfortunately, a disaster often
impacts the familiar surroundings altering the landscape’s character,
feel, smell, look and layout. To enhance the animal’s comfort level,
find another place with similar characteristics. Move the livestock there
until you can remedy the damage.
Feed and water are a big part in livestock disaster recovery. In addition
to the health and nutrient aspects of appropriate feed and water, livestock
can become very picky to eat and drink if their feed and water do not
smell and taste familiar. This nervousness is usually greater during and
after disasters.
People who show livestock often use Kool-aid® water pails before
they haul so that when the animal smells the water at a new location,
the Kool-aid® smell is familiar and comfortable. Although not practical
before a disaster, many animals will see several holding areas after disasters
before finally going home. The Kool-aid®; approach to sensory familiarity
can reduce stress along the way. Always remember that a calm and quiet
shelter serves both physical and emotional needs for livestock.
Reacclimating Livestock
Since the structure and layout of your operation may change because of
a natural disaster, or you decide you want to change things to enhance
future management, it may be necessary to treat livestock as if they are
new to the site. Let them learn the fence layout and the availability
of water and feed. Your native forage feed availability may work into
this process if the disaster impacted the previous forage supply. It is
important for both animal safety and landscape recovery if you inhibit
livestock grazing pressure on disaster- impacted sites until they become
stable.
References
- • Disaster Preparedness Guidelines for Livestock Owners. Indiana
State Public Board of Animal Health.
- Disaster Preparedness Guidelines for Horse Owners. Indiana State Board
of Animal Health.
- Guidelines for the Development of a Local Animal Care Plan in Emergencies,
Disasters, and Evacuations. Heath, Sebastian E. Ph.D. D.V.M. Purdue
University, School of Veterinary Medicine.
- Livestock Handling and Transport. Grandin, Temple. Ph.D., Colorado
State University, 1993.
- Behavioral Principles of Livestock Handling. Grandin, Temple. Ph.D.,
Colorado State University, 1989.
- Cattle Handling Safety in Working Facilities. Hubert, D.J. et.al.
Bulletin
F-1738 Oklahoma State University Extension fact sheet.
This document is not designed to provide a recipe for livestock disaster
management. Its intent is to start the contemplation process to make you
and your operation more resilient so you can survive better, recover faster
and possibly mitigate future risks. Each disaster and impact is site specific.
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