This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.

If we've learned anything in recent years, it's how quickly disasters can strike and upend our lives, yet humans aren't the only ones who suffer. Countless animals who are held at facilities regulated by the federal government have also been left without help in the wake of disasters because these facilities aren't required to have disaster plans in place. Now, there's a chance to change that.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) regulates a number of different types of entities under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), ranging from puppy mills and roadside zoos to circuses and facilities that experiment on animals, but right now none of them are required to have a plan in place in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency.

In 2012, the agency finalized regulations that would require disaster plans, but it “stayed” the rule days after facilities were supposed to have their plans in place.

Sadly, we've seen quite a few extreme weather events, including hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, and freezing temperatures, which are only expected to become more common in the face of the climate crisis. Not only does this situation leave animals to potentially suffer and die, but it also puts first responders and rescuers who step in to help at risk.

The USDA needs to address this, and thanks in large part to prompting by the 2021 Congressional Appropriations Act, which set a timetable for the USDA to revisit this issue, it has published a proposed rule that would require entities it regulates to develop disaster response plans and train relevant personnel on their roles and responsibilities in the event of an emergency.

No animals should be left behind because their caretakers were unprepared to deal with events they could have had plans in place for.

This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.