DAVAO CITY—The Office of Civil Defense-XI is looking to craft a policy on animal evacuation to be implemented in the region.
“OCD now is crafting a new policy, in fact, I will show off that Davao Oriental is starting it, they have a module on how to prepare the community for their animal evacuation sites,” said OCD-XI Regional Director Ednar Dayanghirang.
He said animal evacuation will involve designating people who will get food and water for the animals. “It is important that the animals be fed,” Dayanghirang said.
He said barangay-level preparedness for animal evacuation sites is being done in Davao Oriental.
“One of the reasons we saw why people hesitate to evacuate is because of animals, they do not want to leave their animals behind,” Dayanghirang said.
“For example, the mayor orders a pre-emptive evacuation because of possible flooding. But some people will not obey the order; they do not want to leave their animals; their goats, cows, carabaos,” he added.
Dayanghirang said the animals in the evacuation policy will not just be limited to livestock but will also include pets like dogs and cats.
Several animal advocates have urged the public to keep pets safe during natural disasters. Animals are to be secured before an impending calamity; those in chains are to be unleashed and those in cages are to be freed so they will have a greater chance to survive.
The OCD regional director says he will campaign for the animal evacuation policy across the provinces in Davao Region.
In the aftermath of the February 2024 landslide in Masara, the Davao de Oro Provincial Veterinary Office launched a rescue operation that saved 23 dogs and 27 cats in the landslide-hit villages of Masara and Mainit. (RGA)
