Climate crisis: Help working animals during times of emergency

A donkey is provided with drinking water in Shashemene, Ethiopia.

A donkey is provided with clean drinking water in Shashemene, Ethiopia. Following the worst drought Ethiopia has faced in decades, local water sources have dried up and food supplies have depleted, leaving thousands of working animals fighting for their lives.

Help provide lifesaving treatment, feed, water and shelter for working animals during times of emergency

Floods, landslides, wildfires, droughts, earthquakes, storms and extreme heat – these are just a few of the devastating consequences of the climate crisis that are affecting working animals and their communities globally. Extreme weather events are also becoming more intense and frequent, making life more difficult than ever.

When disaster strikes, it is usually the most vulnerable in society who are most severely affected – including hardworking animals and their owners, who are left without access to food, water, shelter or care. Livelihoods are also threatened for those who rely on agriculture or tourism to provide for their families.

Sadly, the welfare of working animals is often overlooked during emergencies, with many left injured or abandoned and struggling to survive.

SPANA believes that affected animals deserve to be acknowledged during times of crisis, which is why we are working tirelessly to ensure they are given a lifeline through emergency veterinary treatment, feed, drinking water and shelter.

As extreme weather events become more common we must be ready to act quickly when the next disaster strikes. With your support we can save lives.

We need your help to keep our teams on the ground and ready to provide aid and assistance during emergencies. Please donate today. Your support could save the lives of sick and abandoned working animals. Thank you.

Maua the cow receives veterinary treatment after she was found sick and displaced following the devastating floods and landslides in Tanzania.

Maua the cow received treatment from SPANA vets after being displaced from her home due to the devastating floods in Tanzania.

Working animals injured and displaced after devastating floods in Tanzania

Devastating floods and landslides have caused terrible destruction in Tanzania, following months of heavy rainfall in late 2023 and early 2024. Hundreds have been killed and communities and their working animals have been displaced and left in dire need of lifesaving support.

Our SPANA teams on the ground have acted quickly to help provide:

8,800 injured and abandoned animals with vital veterinary treatment
3,200 starving animals with emergency feed
618 community members with training on how to care for their animals during an emergency.

None of this would have been possible without the help of our amazing supporters.

You can help ensure working animals receive the help they need during times of emergency. Will you please donate today? Thank you so much.

Linda Edwards, Chief Executive of SPANA, said:

‘In the past year, severe flooding and landslides have caused terrible destruction in Tanzania and Iraq – and countries in North and West Africa have experienced a deadly heatwave, something I saw and experienced during my visit to Mali in May this year.

‘These events have made life for working animals more precarious than ever and have left owners struggling to feed, care for or even keep their working animals.

‘The World Bank estimates that by 2030, the climate crisis could push over 120 million more people into poverty. And this only reinforces why SPANA is committed to helping working animals affected by the growing impact of the climate crisis.’