"The Role of the Wildlife Rehabilitator in Disaster
Peparedness and Response"

Stephen Dickstein (Speaker)
Guy R. Hodge
Humane Society of the United States
700 Professional Drive
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20879

Abstract
Introduction
Framework

Impediments
Impact
Fitting into the Response
Advisory
Final Thoughts
References
ABSTRACT
Natural disasters, technological accidents, and other crisis situations can have a devastating impact on wildlife. Much as the human victims of disaster are in need of assistance, so too must many wild animals rely on human intervention for their survival. While wild animals are commonly left to fend for themselves, a helping hand could make the difference between life and death.

This paper will discuss the role of the licensed wildlife rehabilitator in the disaster preparedness and response network. The authors will explore:

  1. The current framework of the disaster response network as it applies to animals, including the role of national, state and local organizations or agencies such as The HSUS, the American Red Cross, and FEMA;

  2. The potential impediments which wildlife can pose for disaster or relief workers;

  3. The impact of disasters on wild animals and their behavioral response to their predicament;

  4. How the wildlife rehabilitator fits into the capture, medical care and temporary sheltering of wildlife; and

  5. Mechanisms through which the wildlife rehabilitator can provide advisories or practical tips to the public on such topics as avoiding injury from wildlife and assisting them with temporary rations and/or the means to find safe ground.
Back to Top

Introduction
Webster's defines disaster as a ". . . sudden great misfortune, especially one bringing with it destruction of life or property or causing complete ruin . . .", but those words fail to match the emotional level you feel when your world suddenly comes apart and you don't know if you'll live or die.

We often talk about the human response to the tragedies created by natural disaster, war and insurrection, but rarely do you hear about the animals who are forced to suffer and possibly die when their world comes tumbling down. We must begin to recognize that disasters can be as devastating, if not more so, for the animals with whom we share this world.

In our attempt to make people aware of the animal victims of disaster, we often talk about dogs, cats, horses, livestock and other domesticated animals, but wildlife is hardly mentioned. Perhaps people feel that somehow they can survive on their own as they often do in the normal course of events, but the truth is wild animals are as vulnerable to the winds of a hurricane, the path of a tornado, or the flames of a burning wildfire as anyone else.

This was never more evident than the morning of August 24, 1992 when Hurricane Andrew struck the coast of Florida, just south of Miami. Wrote Laura Bevan, director of the HSUS Southeast Regional Office, ". . . Within a few hours, hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs, homes and belongings. Thirty-eight people lost their lives. Hundreds of thousands of animals were killed, injured, or driven from their homes. They were the silent victims of Andrew, and their urgent, overwhelming needs consumed my life and the lives of many other animal lovers for almost two months."

I'm sure that wildlife, just like their domestic counterparts, were among the many victims of Andrew as they have been in disasters before and since. Thus, this paper will attempt to focus on wildlife and the need for its community to prepare for and respond to disasters as part of an organized effort within the emergency services network - - of which animal services should be included and help to play a major role.

I'm not a wildlife rehabilitator, but I am the disaster manager for a national animal protection organization and see a great need for this issue to be formally addressed.

That said, however, this paper may raise more questions than answers, but our purpose here is to make you more aware of the issue and for you to ask yourselves as a collective community if wildlife rehabilitators are willing and/or able to commit to the network of resources designated to help prepare and respond to disasters on behalf of the animals and people we serve.

Back to Top

Framework
The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ". . . provides the authority for the Federal government to respond to disasters and emergencies in order to provide assistance to save lives and protect public health, safety, and property."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the primary federal agency charged with coordinating this response and developing and providing support for the nation's emergency management system. On the state and local level, this responsibility generally falls to the office of emergency management under the direct authority of the governor or the chief elected official in the local government.

Most disaster preparations and response are geared to the human element. As a result, most communities have not prepared to respond to the animal component of disasters. According to Roger Herman, an internationally known authority on disaster and emergency planning, "This results in confusion, poor service, risks to animal health and safety, and often finger-pointing and buck-passing."

Emergency services for animals did not evolve into a formal aspect of the animal protection profession until the late 1960s when oil spewing from an offshore well wrecked havoc on the wildlife of Santa Barbara, California. Likewise, an oil spill also provided the impetus for The HSUS entry into disaster services. That 1976 event in the Chesapeake Bay also energized federal and state agencies, as well as the petroleum industry, into taking a more active role in the rescue of animal victims.

Currently, the animal community operates in various stages of readiness for a potential disaster which could strike at anytime in one place or another. In one area the government entity responsible for animal care and control will have a seat at the mayor's disaster briefing table during an incident while in another the animal component will not be represented at all.

For The HSUS, Hurricane Andrew served as a major wake up call for us to begin to develop a more formidable disaster services program and has evolved into a major component of the work we do. It is our goal to deliver a nationwide message emphasizing the need for incorporation of an animal relief component into all disaster plans.

We believe it is very important for a network to be developed between the animal community and the "mainstream" community, as represented by non-profit and governmental agencies responsible for emergency functions, in order for the needs of all victims to be addressed. It is our feeling that the animal community cannot effectively operate in a vacuum when disaster strikes. Said Roger Herman, ". . . It's your responsibility to advocate the inclusion of animal welfare in community emergency planning."

Last year, The HSUS signed an agreement with the American Red Cross which we believe is significant in its recognition of the importance of animals as victims of disaster and the great concern expressed for them by the general public. HSUS President Paul G. Irwin stated, "This agreement recognizes that victims of a disaster include both human and animal concerns and that relief should be directed to both." The American Humane Association maintains a similar national agreement with the Red Cross.

Like FEMA, however, we realize that disasters are first and foremost the primary responsibility of the state and local jurisdictions in affected areas. While national groups can play an important role in the disaster response network, ultimately the local humane society, SPCA, and/or municipal animal control department are called upon to take the lead on behalf of animals in their community. Their work is often augmented by home-based wildlife rehabilitators permitted under authority of state wildlife officials to provide medical care for orphaned and injured animals.

The principal role of The HSUS is to provide guidance and support to local agencies and to directly intervene as necessary when local expertise is lacking or the animal community is overwhelmed by the magnitude of the disaster. It is also our role to help promote and be aware of the various disaster response networks nationwide that apply to animals.

In Florida, for example, Laura Bevan is the chairman of the Florida Animal Disaster Protocol Advisory Committee. This is a voluntary group of animal professionals and others who have come together to help organize a more coordinated preparedness and response effort on behalf of the animal victims of disaster.

In Ohio, our Great Lakes Regional Office was notified about the Animals' Disaster Team. This group was founded in 1992 as a non-profit all-volunteer rescue organization ". . . to provide the residents of Cuyahoga County with an emergency assistance plan for all animals in the event of an Emergency Incident. This plan will provide assistance to any and all animals."

The Animals' Disaster Team works under the direction of local rescue authorities (Cuyahoga County Emergency Management Assistance Center) and with the American Red Cross. In addition to Cuyahoga County, they can also respond to any emergency situation where the County holds a mutual aid agreement with communities outside its own.

In California, Eric Sakach, director of The HSUS West Coast Regional Office, serves as a member of the California Veterinary Medical Association Disaster Preparedness Committee. In New Jersey, Nichola Redmond, program coordinator for The HSUS Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, serves on the New Jersey VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster).

The work of The HSUS, and other national, state and local organizations, in disasters will not be successful unless there is an effective response network set up for animals and the human populace alike.

Back to Top

Impediments
One of the important roles of animal rescue personnel is to assist other workers when a wild animal impedes their efforts to assist the human victims of disaster. Although fire, police, Red Cross and other emergency personnel are trained to intervene in a crisis situation that does not mean they've been taught to handle wild animals who might be appear at the scene.

Snakes and rats are among the animals known to take refuge from floods by climbing to the upper floors of residential homes. These animals serve as examples of those who can and have impeded rescue efforts in places such as Mississippi. Emergency personnel are no different than other residents of a community who have developed certain fears about wild animals - - including an intense fear of snakes. Surveys have shown that our fear of snakes is outranked only by our fear of flying among phobias common to Americans.

It is not only traditional wildlife which people associate with their communities that rescue workers need to be concerned with. Today, a large number of exotic pets are in vogue within American households. During the course of a disaster, some exotic menageries may be released to fend for themselves, may escape into the wild or surrounding residential areas, or merely left behind in the owner's haste to evacuate.

This is a very real scenario for both private and commercial operations (i.e., zoos) which "mainstream" rescue personnel are not trained to handle. Imagine being a rescue worker during Hurricane Andrew and trying to respond in areas where animals were wandering all over and perpetual chaos was the mood of the day. Laura Bevan wrote, "... Thousands of exotic animals were released from zoos, import stations, and private collections ... Miami Metrozoo had almost been demolished, more than 2,000 primates were running loose from various facilities, and thousands of lost, injured, and hungry dogs and cats roamed neighborhoods. In rural areas hundreds of dead and injured horses lay in the fields."

The reality of a rescue worker facing wild or exotic animals is certainly not confined to the devastation that a Hurricane Andrew brings. In the recent past, there have been reports of a 16-foot python in a residential neighborhood of Winter Springs, Florida, a 22-foot python captured under a Ft. Lauderdale home, a mountain lion in Philadelphia prowling city streets, and two juvenile tigers taking a stroll in Great Falls, Virginia.

In addition to the obvious concerns about the aggressive posture some wild animals might take, there is also concern about the public health risks which are created by animals on interstate or busy highways which may cause panic and accidents, diseased animals or those "oiled" with highly toxic substances.

The point is there should be no debate over the potential threat from a hungry, frightened animal left to fend for itself in times of a disaster. They have the true ability to represent potential hazards for rescue personnel and others who are not equipped with the knowledge or supplies to effectively handle the situation. Given that these hazards do exist, the question becomes what can be done to remedy the situation so rescue workers can do their job?

Since the "mainstream" rescue community does not generally carry the duel ability to contend both with human and animal concerns, it becomes incumbent upon the expertise of the animal community to deal with wildlife and exotics in an effort to make sure that relief can be carried out to both.

One of your considerations should be integrating into a mixed relief team which consists of rescue personnel who are responsible for both human and animal concerns. For example, consider the possibility of asking the American Red Cross to add a wildlife rehabilitator to their Disaster Action Teams - - strictly as a safety measure for them and as a benefit to those animals in need you might come across. If the Red Cross is reluctant to take that step now, consider taking appropriate courses in their disaster training program and applying those skills and others which they acknowledge until your role as a wildlife rehabilitator is recognized.

The choice is left to you to decide how much you want to get involved in the disaster response network for both human and animal concerns, but at what cost? In an article about the CROW (Care & Rehabilitation Of Wildlife) center on Sanibel Island, Florida, Lou Ann Walker points out that trying to rescue "... wild animals can be dangerous. The beak of a great blue heron once missed John's eye by a millimeter. Raccoons often test positive for roundworm, a parasite that can blind or kill humans. Roger Fleming, a staff member, once had to coax a terrified bobcat out of a tree after it was hit by a car."

Dr. Linda A. Wolf, in the C.A.R.E. (Consultants Advancing Rehabilitation Education) For Wildlife Lecture Series, points out the very inherent dangers of zoonotic diseases which each wildlife rehabilitator can be exposed to. "As a wildlife rehabilitator, you are automatically placed in a segment of the population that is at high risk of experiencing a zoonotic disease . . . a disease of man acquired (transmitted) from an infected animal to man . . . What is important, is for wildlife rehabilitators to be aware of the potential zoonotic diseases they may encounter, to know the way that transmission occurs, and to be constantly aware of the preventative measures that can be taken to reduce the likelihood of exposure."

Certainly there are immediate safety risks to the physical well-being of rescue workers and others exposed to wild animals during a disaster, but what about the impact on complex human emotions? To some, like John Kubisz, director of CROW, "Our thanks is the emotion itself when we see an animal go back into the wild and get a chance to propagate."

Disasters, however, can place a heavy toll on one's emotional state by seeing the enhanced impact on affected wildlife by the sheer numbers affected or the mass destruction that now surrounds your world."Anyone who has ever been involved in an oil spill response has encountered the human side of this work - - - anger is the dominant emotion . . . Psychologists have found that disaster workers often suffer from post-traumatic stress disorders."

The question to ask yourself is can you afford to take on this additional emotional stress to your mental health and risk to your physical well-being without doing more harm than good. There is no doubt that a need exists for the services of wildlife rehabilitators as part of the disaster response, but at what cost in terms of how much you can handle only the individual rehabilitator can decide.

Back to Top

Impact
Wild animals are so abundant and widely dispersed that it is difficult to assist them in escaping the impact of a disaster. Since the capture of wildlife is time consuming, difficult, and requires special skills and equipment, the rescue of wild animals is only a secondary concern of those agencies and workers involved with disaster relief services for animals.

There is also the problem of perception. While media coverage often feature domestic animals in reports about floods and other disasters, that concern is rarely extended toward wildlife. People presume that wildlife have the survival skills to cope with most disasters. Even if wild animals are imperiled by flood waters, their plights are considered a natural occurrence in a world that operates on the premise of survival of the fittest. The notable exception to this rule of thumb are oil spills, which probably is the only type of disaster where affected wild animals are the primary focus of response efforts.

Whatever the perception, however, losses to the wild animal population can be great. In 1976, when a barge leaked some 250,000 gallons of oil into the Chesapeake Bay, about 20,000 birds, including such endangered or prized species as the Whistling Swan and the Herring Gull, suffered a "slow and agonizing" death from oil which hardened like quick-dry cement on their feathers.

In the winter of 1978-79, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service reported, "Thousands of deer and elk starved to death in western and southwestern Colorado where 4 feet of snow has fallen . . . Hungry deer and elk damaged farmers' haystacks in Wyoming, which experienced an early winter with plenty of snow and extreme cold . . . The storm meant trouble for black ducks in New Jersey . . . Black ducks began dying of starvation and New Jersey officials had to feed them corn for about a week after the storm . . . In Pennsylvania, hundreds if not thousands of deer were reported to have fallen on ice, sometimes sliding to their deaths over cliffs or on to highways . . . In parts of the Midwest, quail, pheasant, rabbit, and resident songbird populations are reported to have been reduced by severe winters for the last 3 years."

In 1989, millions of birds were killed in the now famous Exxon Valdez incident when the ship spilled 11,000,000 gallons of oil into the water. It is perhaps this experience more than any other which helped bring the world closer to recognizing the devastating impact disaster can have on wildlife.

Less than four years later, Hurricane Andrew provided a new set of "exceptional circumstances" when it slammed into Florida. Monkeys, baboons, reptiles, amphibians and birds were all lost from the effects of the storm.

Among the affected wildlife population, Cameron S. Shaw, manager of the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge in Crystal River, "... believes that the nests of two of three colonies of the endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers were wiped out in Big Cypress because they tend to live in old-growth pine trees, which were widely damaged in the storm."

This year, Hurricane Erin defied the federal government's prohibition on disturbing sea turtle nests and obliterated them in the storm. On Long Island, New York, the largest brush fire in the history of that area brought renewed concern about the survival of wildlife caught in its path or forced to move outside its reach.

Even in the biggest disasters, however, wildlife does have the capacity to survive. In Hurricane Andrew, for example, Ted Below, warden biologist for the National Audubon Society, found little effect on the birds he surveyed. Said Below, "I don't see any effects at all though some of the pelicans do look like they had a rough night."

Joe Wasilewski, a biologist studying the endangered American crocodile, thought his subjects (a population in the canals at the Turkey Point nuclear power station south of Miami) survived Hurricane Andrew quite well. Said Wasilewski, "The older ones probably headed for their caves underneath the berms along the canals. I think they just got out of the way."

Bob Miller, a biologist brought in as part of the National Park Service emergency management team during the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, had another view on the damage created by this great disaster. He said the Service didn't view this entirely negative. "It will improve some species and have a negative impact on others. There have always been hurricanes going through here. That way, the mangroves get pruned every 30 years or so."

Aside from the impact on the animal population, an animal shelter or wildlife care facility can sustain as much damage as other property. You can face the dual hardship of responding to the plight of animals in distress while attempting to restore your facility to operational status. Once again, you must understand not only the impact that disasters create on the animals, but the impact on you from a potential loss of life for those you know and damage to property which you own or care for.

What can really be said about the impact of many disasters on wildlife is the disruption it brings to often delicate ecosystems and the confusion it creates for the creatures who are displaced from their homes and forced to scurry for food and new shelter. Said Ken Christensen, director of the Treasure Coast Wildlife Hospital in Hobe Sound, following Hurricane Andrew, "Animals are suffering the same disorientation that people do after a storm."

The sight of squirrels going into a form of feeding frenzy in which they're so desperate for food they refuse to retreat from people, a raccoon blown out of a chimney by the winds of a hurricane, other animals stranded by flood or attempting to outrun fire, or wandering in your neighborhood looking for a new home, are all scenes which could be played out the next time disaster strikes. Ultimately, the effect on wildlife will depend on the type of disaster, its size and location, but it is reasonable to assume that an impact of some degree (high or low level) will be felt.

Back to Top

Fitting Into the Response
According to Eric Sakach, director of the HSUS West Coast Regional Office, one of the trouble spots"... in disaster planning for some local animal protection agencies is helping displaced or injured wild animals. Most animal care and control agencies receive wildlife calls throughout the year, from calls about injured birds to reports of raccoons hit by cars. But the number of wildlife problems a natural disaster can create is frequently more than most agencies are equipped to handle on their own."

The emphasis of The HSUS and many of the other organizations which make up the disaster relief community is not to operate in a vacuum independent of each other. Instead, responding to disasters are viewed in terms of the combined efforts of many different individuals and organizations who form a common network to aid victims in need.

FEMA believes that the nation's emergency management system should be "... built on a partnership of local, State, and Federal governments, voluntary agencies, business and industry, and individual citizens focused on saving lives and property and reducing the effects of disasters regardless of their cause." The point is that each of us has a role in emergency management, because disasters can affect everyone.

"All agencies, including those with wildlife rehabilitation programs already in place, should network with other agencies and wildlife experts so they are prepared to help wildlife when the next disaster strikes," says Sakach. The wildlife rehabilitator, therefore, must ask him or herself if they want to become involved in meeting the needs of wildlife impacted by disaster. If so, the individual rehabilitator and the community as a whole must work to be identified as part of the overall preparedness and response network and their role in the disaster system defined.

How can you best utilize those skills which you put into practice everyday in the capture, medical care and temporary sheltering of wildlife who need your help? First, you must become a part of the local or state disaster network which is developed in your jurisdiction or within your state and make sure that the needs of wildlife are actually being addressed.

In developing the Veterinary Service and Animal Care Annex to the Indiana State Emergency Operations Plan, the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association Disaster Preparedness Committee formed a subcommittee devoted to the inclusion of wildlife in the disaster response plan. "The disaster response plan for wildlife would be activated once a disaster has been declared and the veterinarian at the Emergency Operations Center [EOC] receives requests to deal with wildlife."

The second consideration for the wildlife rehabilitator then is to make sure they're recognized as a resource by the individual or agency that represents animals at the EOC. Even if you take steps to become part of the volunteer disaster network (i.e., state VOAD, local animal sheltering community, etc.) chances are you might not be called if the coordinating body for the incident (i.e., EOC) doesn't recognize you as a qualified resource.

A veterinarian is certainly recognized as a qualified resource to respond to the needs of animals in distress, but the wildlife rehabilitator must be aware that sometimes they may meet resistance in attempting to join the disaster network. In a 1993 article by Jennifer Toth, she makes the point that some wildlife experts question the role of rehabbers in dealing with animals. "Critics say these do-gooders should not be allowed to practice amateur veterinary medicine." Said veterinarian Dr. William Rodgers, however, "Generally I think some help is better than none. But people who don't know what they are doing are dangerous to the animals. And many of them don't recognize it."

In a 1993 article by Laura Ten Eyck, she makes this very valid statement, "In order to save lives, wildlife rehabbers must have knowledge, skill, and training. Without them, well-meaning interference often results in death." The point is that rehabbers and the medical profession share important common bonds in their concern for the welfare of wildlife, but sometimes the value or qualifications of individual rehabbers or the movement as a whole will be questioned even when you are making yourself available to help.

Thus, the emphasis here is to be able to prove not only your value to the disaster effort as a wildlife rehabilitator, especially since the recognition of the animal component in disasters is now only really starting to develop, but to assert your individual qualifications as a viable resource to benefit this effort as well.

Even if wildlife rehabilitation, and you as an individual rehabilitator, is accepted as an integral part of the disaster network, your final consideration must be to recognize your own limitations under the enhanced stress and chaos caused by disasters.

You must ask yourself if you can handle the increased number of animals you will be asked to help. "Working with wildlife is a rewarding experience, however to do a proper job it is a very strenuous and difficult undertaking," wrote certified veterinary technician Carol Gilliland in an article for Wildlife Rehabilitation Today.

Moreover, there is the additional financial responsibility which must be considered as noted by Stephanie Joyce writing in The Washington Post. "Rehabilitation costs money. Animal shelters and humane organizations donate what they can, but rehabilitators bear most of the costs." Presently, there is no guaranteed mechanism from which individual rehabbers will be reimbursed for the expenses they incur by taking care of wildlife injured or abandoned as the result of fire, flood or other acts that qualify as a disaster.

Instead, the rehabilitation community from surrounding areas and outside the state will have to play a large part in the process. They need to pool their resources and initiate a network willing to integrate itself within the disaster services network and have a more active presence in the community at large.

"Essentially," says Sakach, "each agency must have in place both a plan for handling injured and sick wildlife during times of normal operation and a plan to accommodate the need for increased services during times of crisis." If you as an individual rehabber, or as organization devoted to wildlife rehabilitation, want to fit into the disaster network then you have to get involved and become a part of the plan.

Back to Top

Advisory
One of the most essential elements for surviving a disaster is information. People need to know how to prepare, where to get help, and what actions to take to aid both themselves and other victims of a disaster. In short, they need practical information from reliable sources.

The Humane Society of the United States, like other relief organizations, rely on the news media to help deliver vital information to the public at large. We issue basic releases to inform the public how to prepare for animals during a disaster - - including for people who encounter wildlife.

According to the New York State Veterinary Medical Society and the New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, wildlife rehabilitators can be defined as ". . . knowledgeable individuals licensed [by the appropriate authority in a given state] . . . to provide care for orphaned, sick or injured wild animals with the goal of releasing them back to their natural habitats."

Often, rehabilitators are one of the few experts in an area who can provide competent information about wildlife. They need to consider utilizing this knowledge, in conjunction with local and state authorities, to bring forth practical information, for the sake of the animals and human safety, to inform those who don't share their knowledge or particular expertise about wildlife.

Questions about whether an animal needs to be rescued or what to do if a need is identified should be answered by people who know what to do - - like professional rehabilitators. Organizations like the Wildlife Rescue League in Falls Church, Virginia know to make certain that the animal someone is ". . . trying to help truly needs to be rescued."

Moreover, they recognize how dangerous wild animals can be ". . . if they feel threatened . . . Wild animals are never 'tame.' They may be dazed, frozen in fear, or seriously ill - but they are not tame. If you are uncertain of what to do, or how to do it, call your local shelter for the name of a local wildlife rehabilitator." Practical advise from those in the know.

"Much of a rehabilitator's workload could be reduced if the public knew about wildlife rehabilitators and what they, the public, can do to aid wildlife. An effective way to get the word out is to send a ready-to-print press release to the news media and those people most often contacted by the public," said the New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council in their Spring newsletter last year. In fact, a 1992 study on licensed wildlife rehabilitators in New York, revealed that 84% ". . . had an interest in providing public education."

Thus, it can be inferred that licensed wildlife rehabilitators want to get practical information to the public. In terms of a disaster, the classroom may be destroyed, but the news media is available to provide the public with the information they need to know. However, if you want to be the source of this information, or to help make sure it will actually go out, you need to bring all concerned parties into the network when planning in advance.

In cooperation with area animal shelters, humane organizations, wildlife groups, nature centers and veterinary hospitals, help put together an effort to make sure wildlife is a consideration in the animal planning component that state and local emergency management officials should include in their disaster plans. Help them make practical information, such as avoiding injury from wildlife and assisting them with temporary rations and/or the means to find safe ground, available to a general public which might not understand the delicate balance of nature that wildlife represents and their reaction to potential disruption, such as that caused by hurricanes, fires and other disasters.

If you're going to act as a qualified resource in your area on wildlife, let the news media know in advance. Try to get their interest in this subject before disaster strikes by educating them on the importance of including wildlife information in their emergency releases or on air stories. In addition, work with your local humane organization and others to include information on wildlife in their public relations activities on disaster preparedness and in an actual incident. The news media will not release practical information on wildlife unless they know where to get that type of information and who to talk with about it. Let them know who you are and to add you to their contact list.

Preparing information for the media serves a twofold purpose. First, it serves as a reminder to you to make provisions for your own property and/or separate rehabilitation facility should it become endangered by a disaster. Second, it will help provide the general public with pertinent information on how to deal with wildlife concerns should disaster strike.

What Anita Shreve wrote in a contemporary 1985 article about wildlife rescues is still very true today. She wrote, "The more one talks to animal experts, the clearer the message becomes: Compassion for wildlife is an essential part of concern about the environment--but it must be informed and intelligent." That's where you, as a licensed rehabilitator, come in.

Back to Top

Final Thoughts
According to the book Living with Wildlife, "Wildlife rehabilitation --- the treatment and care of injured, orphaned, or sick wildlife for release back to the wild --- started in the United States between 30 and 40 years ago . . .Caring humans who witnessed the harm done to wild creatures began trying to help restore their health and well-being. Such people recognized the right of wildlife to life and health and responded to the emotional urge to help with practical action."

As the first rehabbers were pioneers thirty or forty years ago, the rehabbers of today have the same opportunity to assume the role of pioneer in integrating wildlife rescue into the disaster services realm. Currently, the role of the wildlife rehabilitator in disasters is virtually an unresolved problem. The question of whether rehabbers should become involved and how much of a role they want to play must be explored by the wildlife community. Ultimately, however, each rehabber must make his or her own choice.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency defines disasters, in part, as, "An occurrence of a severity and magnitude that normally results in deaths, injuries, and property damage and that cannot be managed through the routine procedures and resources of government." [Emphasis placed by Erik Auf der Heide]

In some ways, on a more limited scale, this sounds similar to what rehabbers must face everyday. The question is, are you willing to extend yourself to respond beyond the emergencies you now face to the increased magnitude and severity that disasters often bring? In short, do you want to assume a larger role in conjunction with the rest of the disaster community?

Moreover, as the book Living with Wildlife contends, individuals still undertake much of the wildlife care effort. ". . . Wildlife rehabilitation continues to be very much a grassroots effort." Therefore, you must also ask yourself if you have the capacity to respond as a rehabber when disaster strikes. Are there boundaries, such as limited financial resources, which limit what you can be expected to do? Thus, you might have to pick your individual missions carefully with respect to both financial and safety concerns.

As a manager for a disaster services program for animals, I see the emphasis placed on planning for and rescuing domestic animals who are impacted by disasters. Wildlife, however, often seems to be a missing piece of the puzzle. Perhaps, this is because most people don't know what to do to help wildlife in trouble and they're often left alone to fend for themselves. Despite this, there is a general concern and regard for wild animals and a need to lend a hand and support to all the victims of a disaster.

By extension, people caring about wildlife is symbolic of the vitality of the natural world. It is important to local residents to see an effort being made on behalf of these wild animals - - animals many have watched grow, at least in a symbolic sense, as they too have grown up. For people, many of whom may be disaster victims themselves, to see these animals suddenly helpless may cause them to feel helpless as well and impede their own recovery.

How do you, as wildlife rehabilitators, see your role in a disaster? What are the services and expertise you can provide to disaster preparedness efforts and response? What are your limitations? These and other questions are those which you as individuals, and the wildlife rehabilitation community as a whole, must ask and answer. The purpose of this presentation is not to answer these questions for you, but to get you to raise discussion and think about your role when disaster next strikes.

As a humane and caring people, we have the responsibility to take every reasonable opportunity, within our own lives, to express the values we hold dear - - justice, kindness, and compassion - - for every animal. Wild animals, just like the other victims of disaster, need our help. Responding to their aid represents our own necessary expression of the intrinsic values of our lives.

The need is there, but the choice to commit is one that only you can make.

"We cannot save every life that comes into our hands; but we do care about every life that passes our way. All of us -- human and non-human - - are the 'same being in different disguises' and, even in adversity, the essence of who and what a creature is remains behind the ruins of a body, or a life."

-- Yvonne Wallace Blane

Back to Top

References
Animals' Disaster Team in Cuyahoga County (Cleveland, Ohio). "Organization Manual." 1994: 1.

ANSTETT, Patricia. "Plans Made to Rescue Animals Caught in Disasters." Features and News Service 11 October 1976.

AUF DER HEIDE, Erik. Disaster Response: Principles of Preparation and Coordination 1989: 51.

BEVAN, Laura. "Struggle and Triumph in Andrew's Wake." HSUS News (Reprint) Winter 1993.

BLANE, Yvonne Wallace. "Finding The Courage To Care." Wildlife Rehabilitation Today Winter 1995: 45.

BOOTH, William. "Storm Left Gash in Everglades' Heart." The Washington Post 6 September 1992.

California Center for Wildlife, with Landau, Diana, and Stump, Shelley. Living With Wildlife 1994: 47.

CLIMER, Jerry. "In the Face of Disaster." Cat Fancy April 1987: 36-37, 41-42.

DEPALMA, Anthony. "Storm Offers Chance To Rethink Everglades." The New York Times 29 September 1992.

DURHAM, Megan. "Winter Toll on Wildlife is High in Western States." (News Release) United States Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service 13 March, 1979.

EYCK, Laura Ten. "To Heal a Mockingbird." Animals November/December 1993: 20-23.

Federal Response Plan (For Public Law 93-288, As Amended). April 1992.

Federal Emergency Management Agency. "Strategic Plan: Partnership for a Safer Future." December 1994.

Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission. "Effects of Hurricane Andrew On the Fish and Wildlife of South Florida: A Preliminary List of Damage Assessment Needs, Required Actions and Estimated Costs." 9 September 1992.

G. & C. Merriam Co. Webster's New Practical School Dictionary 1964: 230.

GILLILAND, Carol V. "Wildlife Rehabilitation Basics For Animal Shelters." Wildlife Rehabilitation Today Spring 1993: 26-29.

HAMMETT, Yvette C. "Lost animals threaten balance." The Stuart News.

HERMAN, Roger E. "When Disaster Strikes . . ." Community Animal Control January/February 1984: 6-7.

Indiana Veterinary Medical Association Disaster Preparedness Committee. "The Development of the Veterinary Service and Animal Care Annex to the Indiana State Emergency Operations Plan." 1995: 74-75.

JOYCE, Stephanie. "Call of the Wild." The Washington Post 3 March 1991.

New York State Veterinary Medical Society. Resolution concerning NYSVMS and New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council. Adopted 4 December 1992.

New York State Veterinary Medical Society, New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council in cooperation with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. "The Veterinarian and Distressed Wildlife in New York State." Pamphlet January 1994.

New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council. "Press Release: Ready To Use." Quarterly Newsletter Spring 1994.

Ohio Wildlife Rehabilitators Association, Ohio Division of Wildlife. "Wildlife Rescue and Transport Procedures." (Draft) 1993.

Our Animal Wards. "Prepare You and Your Pet for Emergencies." Newsletter May/June 1990: 3-4, 11-13.

RALEY, Patti L. Brukner Nature Center Primer of Wildlife Care & Rehabilitation 1992: 16-17.

ROBERTS, Paul Craig. "Liberating power of natural disasters." The Washington Times 12 August 1995.

SAKACH, Eric. "Helping Wildlife During A Disaster." Shelter Sense November 1994: 6.

SCOTT, James R. "The veterinarian's role in the welfare of wildlife." JAVMA 15 April 1991: 1380-1385.

SHREVE, Anita. "Unsung Heroes: Saving Creatures Great and Small." Woman's Day 11 June 1985: 69-71, 134.

SIEMER, William F., and Brown, Tommy L. "Characteristics, Activities, and Attitudes of Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitators in New York." Human Dimensions Research Unit, Department of Natural Resources, New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences May 1992: v-vi, 38.

"Stress, Ego: The Human Dimension in Operation of Wildlife Treatment Center." (No other information identified).

TOTH, Jennifer. "Rehabbers' role questioned." News & Observer 15 May, 1993.

WALKER, Lou Ann. "They Help Animals Run Wild." Parade Magazine 30 May 1993: 10-11.

Wildlife Rescue League. Falls Church, Virginia. (Information pamphlet).

WOLF, Linda A. "Zoonoses: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You." C.A.R.E. For Wildlife (Consultants Advancing Rehabilitation Education) Lecture Series 1994.

Back to Top

Updated: March 6, 1997