UNP-2109
How to Develop a Disaster
Management Plan for Exotic Pets
Introduction
Very few exotic pet owners seem to approach
ownership with any forethought about
expense, time, commitment, or potential
danger these animals could pose to them,
their families, and/or communities. This will
include native wildlife, domestic animals,
and emergency responders if they should
ever become loose under intentional or
unintentional circumstances like natural
or manmade disasters. To mitigate these
dangers, every exotic pet owner should have
a well thought-out and rehearsed disaster
management plan.
What should a disaster plan for
exotic pets contain?
Any owners’ disaster management plan for
exotic pets should include: 1) pre-disaster
preparation; 2) plans to assist the exotic
animals that remain in danger during a
disaster; and 3) plans to get your exotic
animals back to normal behavior patterns as
soon as possible after the disaster. Naturally,
the more animals you have, the more thought
should be given in developing a disaster plan.
Pre-disaster preparation encompasses
some long-range planning that will be the
same across the board for every exotic animal
owner, such as gathering any registration
(permit) papers, medical and vaccination
records, and photos of your animals. When
gathering photos, be sure to include some of
you with your animals to verify ownership in
case you will need to claim your pets after
a separation. These documents should go
in your grab and go bag that is part of your
comprehensive disaster evacuation kit. All
animals, if eligible, should have a microchip
inserted and the microchip should be
registered with your up-to-date contact
Figure 1. Photo of chimpanzee by hotblack, morguefile.com.
information. This is the best way to give the
animal sanctuaries and the proper authorities
a chance to contact you should your exotic pet
get separated from you during a disaster and
is recovered.
If you know that it will be difficult to
evacuate with your exotic pets due to size
and/or number, then it is wise to make
alternative arrangements beforehand. Check
area sanctuaries today to see if they will be
able to accommodate your exotic pets as an
alternative to transporting or sheltering in
place with them. If you find a place willing
to take them do not delay in transporting
them to the sanctuary when warnings
are posted about an approaching event.
Follow the prearranged timeline set up with
the receiving sanctuary when the original
arrangements were made, but be sure and
check in with them by telephone before you
set off with your exotic pets. Do not arrive
unannounced. Bring all your paperwork for all
your animals with you.
Although unpleasant, pre-disaster planning is
a good time to prioritize your animals. If you
have several exotic pets or more than one
large exotic pet, it may not be possible to
evacuate or to rescue every one of them due
to time, financial, or transportation restraints.
www.aces.edu
When packing a disaster evacuation kit for
your exotic pets make sure to include the
following:
Figure 2. Photo of white-faced capuchin monkey by
Stephen G. Johnson, Wikipedia.
Exotic pets cannot be left behind alone
to fend for themselves, nor can they be
released! For the safety of all concerned,
if the exotic pets are dangerous or lethal,
the owner is ultimately responsible for the
safety of individuals and communities if the
pet gets loose. It is your responsibility to
guarantee the safe transportation or housing
of exotic pets when preparing for a disaster.
If you are fleeing from a disaster such as a
hurricane, flood, wildfire, or tornado outbreak
and you can’t take your exotic pet with you
or are unable to house them elsewhere, then
make the ultimate sacrifice and humanely
euthanize your pets. This will spare them
emotional and physical trauma, and
possibly protect your neighbors, emergency
responders, and the neighborhood ecology
following a disaster.
Be prepared to take your exotic pets
completely out of the disaster area. So, it is
best to leave before a forced evacuation is
declared. Know your community’s evacuation
plan and establish your escape route ahead
of time. Plan to travel on alternate routes
in case roads are blocked due to accidents
or heavy traffic. You cannot be certain that
electrical power and cell towers will be
working during any disaster, so bring a paper
map. Keep your car fueled and in good repair.
Also, it wouldn’t hurt to keep a change of
protective clothes in the car, such as jeans, a
long sleeve shirt, closed shoes, and gloves in
case you need them along the way.
• A map with a clearly-marked, well
thought-out route, including intermediate
stops at reasonable intervals for people
traveling with exotic pets. Be sure to
choose a final destination that you know
will accommodate your entire family
(exotic pets included).
• A sturdy, safe and comfortable carrier for
each exotic pet you need to evacuate.
• Each exotic pet’s registration papers,
medical and vaccination records, and
photos, as well as any medication for
your pet.
• Separate feeding and water bowls for
each animal.
• Regular dry food supplies for at least
three days for each pet (trade this out
every three months to keep fresh food on
hand)
• Manual can opener and regular canned
food for at least three days for each pet
(trade this out every three months to
keep fresh food on hand) if canned food is
a requirement in the regular diet.
• Emergency water supplies for all pets, for
at least three days. Most mammals should
consume at least 2.5 times as much water
as dry food every day. The water should
be given several times throughout the
day (replace the water every three to six
months to keep it fresh)
• Extra leashes, harnesses, and collars with
an ID tag, and keep your microchip
Figure 3. Animal rescue volunteer Shirley Minshew with
pet carriers from FEMA Photo Library.
2 Alabama Cooperative Extension System
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information up-to-date. Include an out-ofdisaster area phone number as a contact
number.
Favorite toys, treats, and blanket for each
pet to entertain and calm your pet(s).
Paper towels, odor neutralizer (spray
bottle for easy use), and zip-type plastic
bags to clean up any accidents your
pet may have while traveling or at your
destination.
A pet first-aid kit that includes roll
bandages, gauze pads, antibiotic firstaid cream for minor wounds, hydrogen
peroxide for scratches, cotton balls for
cleaning, small scissors, and tweezers.
Flashlight and fresh batteries (trade
these out every six months to make sure
you keep fresh ones in your disaster
evacuation kit).
Sanitary wipes to clean bowls, hands, etc.
Potty training pads
Face cloth
Emergency cash for necessary purchases
since credit cards may not work if there is
a power outage or phones are jammed.
Make plans to assist your exotic pets that
remain in danger during a disaster without
placing you or your family in danger. As an
exotic pet owner you may not be able to
completely remove yourself and/or your
family and pets out of harm’s way due to the
nature of a disaster or your own limitations.
Therefore, you and your pets may have to
remain in danger during a disaster. Getting all
your exotic pets into your emergency shelter
may be difficult and should be practiced
before an emergency arises in order to get
everyone familiar with the process. Don’t let
the actual emergency be the first time you’ve
tried getting everybody into the shelter.
Make sure your animals have been in there
previously and are comfortable getting into
and remaining in the shelter. Store packages
or treats in the shelter for each pet to hand
out when everyone is safe, which may help to
keep them calm. Also, talk in a calm voice and
act in a calm demeanor to lessen fears. You
might even consider playing soft music.
Lock large pets in a sturdy enclosure such as a
barn that should already be set up with cages
that are familiar to them. Be sure to lock them
in the cages too. That way, if the barn
Figure 4. Photo of albino reticulated python by Keith
Pomakis, Wikipedia.
is damaged they will still be safely kept within
the cages. The objective here is to make sure
they cannot escape, even if injured, to run
away and roam the neighborhood. If they get
loose, then they could endanger emergency
responders, neighbors, and local wildlife. Be
sure to supply each cage with adequate food
and water supplies for approximately twice as
long as you plan to be sheltering away from
the animals.
Do not overcrowd your exotic pets. If having
your exotic pets in your shelter with you
results in overcrowding conditions, you are
only endangering yourself, your family, and
your pets. Keep pets caged at all times. Take
them out one at a time to exercise them if you
are sheltering for an extended period of time.
If you have your exotic pets in a separate,
secure location, get to them as soon as it is
safe to exercise them one at a time on a leash
in an area that you have determined is safe.
Remember, they will be nervous and you will
need to be on guard at all times. If the cage
permits, leave the animals enough room to
Figure 5. Photo of male lion by alice10, Morguefile.com.
How to Develop a Disaster Management Plan for Exotic Pets 3
move around. Do not remove them from their
cages to exercise until everything has settled
down.
If you need to shelter in place with your pets
for an extended time, the food and water
supplies that you have packed in your pet
disaster evacuation kit can be used to help
make that stay at home safe and secure.
Be sure that you have your own emergency
supplies of food, water, flashlights, etc. For
a complete list, please see Ready.gov’s basic
disaster supplies kit at http://www.ready.gov/
kit.
Make plans to get your exotic pets back
to normal behavior patterns as soon
as possible after a disaster. Be diligent
about keeping your exotic pets indoors
during the emergency and securing them
during the clean-up period afterward. They
will be traumatized as will you and they will
pick up on your anxiety level. Therefore, the
possibility of them bolting out a door or other
opening is increased. Once the immediate
danger has passed, be sure to keep exotic
pets on a tight leash. Walk them carefully
in daylight so you can see well enough to
avoid injury to their paws from dangerous
debris. Do NOT let exotic pets run loose
even in a fenced in yard or pen where they
have previously been accustomed to having
freedom, until you are certain the area is free
of nails, glass, and other debris and that the
enclosure is completely secure. They may
still be easily startled and be driven to escape
if frightened. It is better to restrict their
movement until things calm down.
Conclusion
Caring for an exotic pet is a risky endeavor
even during a disaster. Disaster plans for
your exotic pets are critical to minimize risks
to you, your family, and your immediate
community, including disaster response
teams. And, if you are fleeing from a disaster
such as a hurricane, flood, wildfire, or tornado
outbreak and can’t take your exotic pet with
you or find an approved sanctuary that will
take them, then you must make the ultimate
sacrifice to humanely euthanize your pet in
order to spare it the emotional and physical
trauma, and to protect your neighbors,
emergency responders, and the neighborhood
ecology after the disaster.
References
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®.
(2016). Adoption tips. Adopt a pet. Retrieved from
http://www.aspca.org/adopt/adoption-tips/.
Henn, C. (2016, January 1). 3 ridiculous reasons people
give for keeping exotic animals as pets. Retrieved from
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/
ridiculous-reasons- people-give-for-keeping-exoticanimals-as-pets/.
Hooper, B. (2016, April 22). Police seek owner of loose tiger
found wandering Texas city. Retrieved from http://
www.upi.com/Odd_News/2016/04/22/Police-seekowner-of-loose- tiger-found-wandering-Texas-city/.
Slater, L. (2014, April). Exotic pets: Wild obsession.
Retrieved from http://ngm.nationalgeographic.
com/2014/04/exotic-pets/slater-text.
Jean Hall Dwyer, MS, Extension Communications Specialist, EDEN Point of
Contact, Alabama A&M University
For more information, call your county Extension office. Look in your telephone directory
under your county’s name to find the number.
UNP-2109
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New October 2016; UNP-2109