Animals in emergencies

If an emergency happened today, do you have a plan in place to save yourself, your family and your animals? Learn how to prepare to ensure the welfare of your animals during a disaster, such as an earthquake or flood.

Protecting animals in emergencies

Your animals are your responsibility. You need to include them in your emergency planning and preparation. Failing to plan for them in case a disaster happens (such as an earthquake or flood) puts lives at risk.

Prepare your plan

Prepare an emergency plan that covers the major disasters that could affect your family and animals. Discuss your plan, record it, and practice it with your family or household. Keep your plan somewhere prominent, like on the fridge or by the front door.

Use our checklists for different types of animal

Download an MPI checklist to help you prepare an emergency plan for your:

Use our checklists for different types of emergencies

Download an MPI checklist to help you prepare for specific emergencies such as fires, earthquakes or floods:

We recommend you download copies of these checklists and include them as part of your emergency kit.

You can also find information to help you plan for an emergency on the Get Ready Get Thru website.

Caring for pets and livestock – Get Ready Get Thru website

Prepare a first aid kit for animals

It's good to have a suitable first aid kit handy in case animals are injured during an emergency. Your household first aid kit may contain supplies that can be used for animals. Use our first aid kit for animals checklist to make sure you have everything you need.

MPI's role in emergencies

MPI's responsibilities under the National Civil Defence emergency management plan 2015 (National CDEM plan) are to:

  • coordinate animal welfare services in emergencies (like earthquakes and floods)
  • ensure planning is in place.

This means when there is a disaster, MPI can provide for the needs of animals when their owners (or people in charge) can’t.

Animal welfare under the National CDEM plan

Download our annual work programme [PDF, 119 KB]

Find out more

Who to contact

If you have questions about animals in emergencies:

Last reviewed: