Lunchtalk webinar: Animals in disasters - From a multi-species mindset to policy

You are welcome to join a Lunchtalk Webinar hosted by Disaster Competence Network Austria (DCNA) on how a multi-species mindset can contribute to more inclusive, realistic and resilient disaster preparedness. This webinar explores why disaster risk management needs to better account for animals – pets, livestock and wildlife. Together with experts from our network, we will discuss current approaches and challenges in regulatory frameworks and operational processes. Using examples such as heatwaves and floods, the webinar will address multi-species perspectives, ethical questions around animal loss and compensation, and the long-term consequences of excluding animals from disaster management approaches.

Outline:

1. Immediate impact
2. Logistics, movement, & human behaviour (the evacuation phase)
3. The “after"

Target groups:

• Civil protection / emergency management agencies
• Zoos, aquariums, wildlife sanctuaries
• Animal shelters / rescue organizations
• Veterinarians and veterinary emergency teams
• Farmers, livestock owners, agricultural associations
• NGOs working on animal welfare and One Health
• Pet owners and the general public

Speakers:

• Amélie Desvars-Larrive (Associate Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna)
• Ruth Kutalek (Head of Unit Medical Anthropology & Global Health, Medical University of Vienna)
• Lucia Mair (Senior Researcher Department of Primary Care Medicine, Medical University of Vienna)
• Jackson Zee (Conflicts and Disaster Frameworks Expert, Four Paws International)