How Do Natural Disasters Affect Animals?

How Do Natural Disasters Affect Animals?

Natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, which took over 1,800 lives, left not only humans helpless but also numerous animals in despair. Forest fires alone kill up to 1.25 billion animals, says Sentient Media. “Volcanoes, storms, and floods can kill marine animals directly, or cause long-term problems by depositing debris and affecting the temperature and salinity of water” (Animal Ethics). Disasters do not just affect animals' safety, but their environment as well, in terms of water quality, the air, and the resources in the area.

Hurricane Katrina, seen as one of the largest and most destructive natural disasters in human history, ruined the lives of more animals than we realize. In immediate effect, sea creature populations decreased drastically, which not only affected the species but also their predators. The ones that survived suddenly found themselves with less prey than normal, which led to widespread starvation among the population. During this cycle of death, The Hurricane ultimately claimed between 50,000 to 70,000 animals across the entire Gulf Coast. This, in addition to starvation, also caused their habitats to be destroyed. For example, debris and silt blocked habitats, while waste like oil and chemicals were being released into their ecosystem. Saltwater intrusion was another example of how damaged the habitats were as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Approximately 10,000 fish died, 99% of oysters were destroyed, as well as crabs, turtles, shrimp, dolphins, etc. Defenders of Wildlife mentions how “The U.S. Geological Survey estimated that 217 square miles of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands were converted to open water following Katrina and Rita, with losses to both coastal saltmarshes and inland freshwater marshes – two very important habitats that are home to countless birds, fish, crustaceans and shellfish” (Of Hurricanes and Habitats). When these habitats were lost, countless animals lost their lives and homes, which made them more susceptible to dangers like harsh weather and unfamiliar predators. This vulnerability led to an imbalance in the ecosystem; uneven balances occur when human caused or natural disaster kills off an entire or a portion of a certain species. If one species becomes predominant in an area, it will eventually exhaust the available resources in the environment, therefore indirectly killing that monopolizing species and overtime, the entire ecosystem.

Another important consideration is the fact that these animals dying off, directly impacts humans’ food source. Countries around the world all depend on vital foods, generally from land and marine life, and losing any of these vital foods can prove disastrous for the human population. Foods ranging from fish, octopus, whales, sharks, and other marine life to deers, lions, horses, bears, rabbits, and many other forms of land life, are all common sources. According to the UN environment programme, “half of the breeds of many domestic animals have been lost, and all the world’s 17 main fishing grounds are now being fished at or above their sustainable limits.” This goes to show how reliant humans can be on animals and their ecosystems, and how just losing a proportion of our fish should be an eye-opener—that as this starts affecting us on a personal level, we need to work to take action and prevent natural disasters. Even though some disasters are nature’s force of will, other disasters caused by human negligence are slowly increasing. Carbon emissions, cars, factories to now-ceased actions such as making rare animal leather all add up to the eventual destruction some animals are facing.

Though we can’t protect all animals from natural disasters, the first step in helping is realizing and accepting that we are the cause of many natural disasters, which in turn destroy animal species, and therefore shorten our food supply and destroy ecosystems. No matter how one twists and turns this, at this rate, we are only headed toward a world meant for downfall. However, aiding to save the planet doesn't mean you have to make a huge change in your daily life, it could mean a change in simple daily tasks. Recycling, walking/biking for commuting, saving water, and trying to reduce our own carbon footprint are all things we can do to actively protect our environment. In addition to that, you can contribute and donate to societies that work to bring change by recovering animal populations, or actively going against climate change. With corporate giants such as Google, Amazon, BMW, Microsoft and Facebook claiming to be carbon neutral and even setting goals to be carbon negative in the near future, this utopia is something that actually seems achievable, but only if you take the first step.