Disaster emergency management research by a Charles Sturt University (CSU) postgraduate student in New Zealand has found that 99 per cent of pet owners identified pets as part of their family, and that in an emergency, 56 per cent of owners would refuse to evacuate without their pets.

 

Mr Steve Glassey, a distance education student in the Master of Emergency Management course at the CSU Australian Graduate School of Policing in Australia says his report, Recommendations to enhance companion animal emergency management in New Zealand, which was presented at the 9^th Annual Emergency Management Conference in Wellington on Monday 22 February, contains 60 recommendations that are relevant to pet owners and local and national government departments and agencies everywhere.

 

“It is a serious concern that nearly 60 per cent of respondents said they would refuse to evacuate during an emergency unless they could take their pet, and, if forced to abandon their pet, they would return later to rescue them regardless of directions from the emergency services,” Mr Glassey said.

 

“My research shows that pets are part of the family, and it is not okay to leave them behind when evacuating. It’s important, therefore, to change current emergency management arrangements that do not provide for adequate protection of pets during disasters.”

 

Mr Glassey’s research drew on the experience of residents of New Orleans in the United States (US) when, as the city was pounded by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the evacuation of the city created the largest animal rescue operation in US history. While over 15,000 pets were rescued, 80 to 90 per cent of pets were left behind, and most of these died.

 

“In view of this disaster, specific US legislation was passed the following year to require state and local emergency management agencies to ensure pets and service animals were included in disaster and evacuation plans. In contrast, no such requirements exist in New Zealand or Australia.

 

“We have a great opportunity to take the lessons of Hurricane Katrina and put systems in place to protect pets before a disaster strikes. Without doubt, this research indicates that protecting pets results in protecting people,” Mr Glassey said.