Filling the Ark: Animal Welfare in Disasters

by Leslie Irvine

Overview

When disasters strike, people are not the only victims. Hurricane Katrina raised public attention about how disasters affect dogs, cats, and other animals considered members of the human family. In this short but powerful book, noted sociologist Leslie Irvine goes beyond Katrina to examine how disasters like oil spills, fires, and other calamities affect various animal populations—on factory farms, in research facilities, and in the wild.

Filling the Ark argues that humans cause most of the risks faced by animals and urges for better decisions about the treatment of animals in disasters. Furthermore, it makes a broad appeal for the ethical necessity of better planning to keep animals out of jeopardy. Irvine not only offers policy recommendations and practical advice for evacuating animals, she also makes a strong case for rethinking our use of animals, suggesting ways to create more secure conditions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781592138364
Publisher:	Temple University Press
Publication date:	05/28/2009
Series:	Animals and Ethics
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	242 KB

About the Author

Leslie Irvine is Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Colorado at Boulder and the author of two previous books, including If you Tame Me: Understanding Our Connection with Animals (Temple).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 
Introduction 
1. Companion Animals 
2. Animals on Factory Farms 
3. Birds and Marine Wildlife 
4. Animals in Research Facilities 
Conclusion: Noah’s Task 
Notes 
Bibliography 
Index

Editorial Reviews

The devastation of Hurricane Katrina raised public awareness in the United States about the effects of disasters on animals. This slim volume by Irvine (sociology, Univ. of Colorado at Boulder; If You Tame Me: Understanding Our Connection with Animals) addresses the need for humans to design better plans for animal rescue in disaster situations. In exploring our relationships with companion animals, factory farm animals, birds and marine wildlife, and research animals, she not only discusses how manmade and natural catastrophes like oil spills and hurricanes have affected animals but also urges us to rethink our use of animals as we often put them in harm's way. With firsthand experience in rescuing pets during Hurricane Katrina, Irvine offers valuable advice for avoiding mass casualties in disaster situations. For academic and public libraries.
—Diana Hartle

Library Journal

"As Irvine argues, we have a responsibility to minimize the vulnerability of animals within our care and those that can be affected by our actions....Aimed at general readers and those interested in animal-human interaction, this book serves as a reminder that disasters put more than human life at stake."--Contemporary Sociology

"Rather than merely planning for the future of what to do when a nightmare unfolds, [Irvine] encourages us to make animals less vulnerable here and now.... This is a book that should be read by many throughout fields as diverse as veterinary medicine, social science and public policy."--Anthrozoos

"Filling the Ark is a fascinating combination of scholarship, public policy, and animal advocacy. Leslie Irvine examines the plight of animals in the face of man-made and natural disasters in light of larger issues associated with our society's ambivalence about the moral status of other species The writing is excellent and the author's first hand experiences rescuing companion animals during Hurricane Katrina are compelling."--Harold Herzog, Department of Psychology, Western Carolina University

From the Publisher