Evacuations due to Fire, Flood, and other disasters often place undue strain on all members of the family. It can be even harder if you have large animals. Keeping them out of harm’s way is just as important as other members of the family. Here are some tips to help.
1. Ensure your animals have an identification tag or brand of some description.
2. Take photos of the animals and keep them with you in case you become separated from them.
3. Do not open gates of paddocks to let them out. Especially during fires. They can become disoriented and pose a threat to road users.
4. Horses particularly are easy to identify by writing your phone number on their hoof in permanent ink.
5. Know in advance the safest route to remove animals that are in danger.
6. Ensure you have the number of reliable transport for your large animals if you don’t have your own carrier.
7. Ensure your destination will have appropriate food, water and handling facilities for your animals.
8. Have a list of 24-hour phone numbers for animal shelters, yarding at local showgrounds, etc.
9. Ensure that you have access to appropriate first aid materials for your animal and a veterinary phone number that you can access additional help when necessary.
