Would You Leave Them Behind?

Disaster Preparedness For Live Animals in Museum Collections.

by

Michelle M. Stokke

June 15, 2007

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Master of Arts

in

Museum Studies

in the

School of Education and Liberal Arts

at

John F. Kennedy University

Approved: ________________________ ________________________ Department Chair Date

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I would like to acknowledge my wonderful family

for all the support they have given me

throughout this process.

As I have, once again, taken that road less traveled by . . . . .

Thank you Kate, McLean and Adam for

welcoming me, giving me a family to live with,

and for being so supportive.

Thanks to the professors and staff at John F. Kennedy University.

Especially Marjorie Schwarzer,

the voice at my shoulder, encouraging me to do better.

To everyone who I spoke to in connection for this project

THANK YOU ALL

© Copyrighted by Michelle Stokke

June 15, 2007

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary 4 Methodology 8 Limitations of Methodology 9 Literature Review 11 Humans and Animals – A Relationship 12 Animal Emotions and Intelligence 16 Animal Welfare, Ethics and Legal Advances – The Collected Animal 24 The State of Emergency Planning 34 Findings 41 Conclusions and Recommendations 64 Description of Product 71 Bibliography 72 Product 78 Organizational Readiness 80 Simple and Cost Effective Emergency Planning 81 Potential Animal Reactions 82 Worksheet for Disaster Plan 88 Emergency Instruction Sheets 98 Related Links 109 Appendix A: Questions for Interviewees 110

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The more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by

man from the cruelty of man.

Mohandas Gandhi

Executive Summary

Imagine that there is a fire approaching your home. Thick smoke

billows around and you are confused, scared and don’t understand a word

that anyone is saying to you and you feel trapped, as if in a cage. Your

natural instinct is to flee and find a safe hiding place but you can’t make

anyone around you understand what you want or how you feel. This is

what happens every time there is a disaster, like a fire, to the live animals

enclosed inside museums.

Confined to enclosed spaces and unable to communicate with their

human care givers, panic and fear are certain to be experienced by many

of these sentient creatures. If humans care enough about animals to

collect them and place them into museums, then we should enact safety

procedures and emergency planning dedicated to saving and protecting

them. This master’s project discusses the moral, ethical and practical

rationales for emergency planning and preparedness in museums with live

animal collections.

One purpose of this project is to bring attention to the large number

of museums in the United States that do not have emergency plans. I

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focus specifically on institutions that are not zoos, but still contain living

animals in their collections, permanent, temporary or teaching.

Emergency preparedness in museums is very important, but not well

financed or given appropriate priority in the museum profession.

Furthermore, the welfare of animals in museum collections during an

emergency disaster is an aspect of emergency planning that most museums

have not paid the proper attention to.

My goal is to assure that all museums that have live animals are

aware of the requirements and obligations that they have to those sentient

creatures. I also provide information about how animals react in

emergency disaster situations, so institutions know what to expect, and

how to be prepared to protect the staff, visitors, general public and the

animals.

The questions guiding my research include: 1) what has been the

historical role of animals in museums, zoos and aquariums, 2) why are

animals collected at all and then placed into man made environments? In

addressing these questions, I wanted to understand the purpose of

collecting animals and what has changed in society, science and law

regarding perceptions of animal welfare, rights and ethics. Is it moral to

keep animals in zoos or museums? What about animal intelligence, does

that preclude animals from being used for amusement, scientific and

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educational purposes? What has research taught us about the rights of

animals, their feelings and intelligence? This product demonstrates that

humans and animals are deeply inter-connected and that some humans

care so much about animals that they will risk their own lives to save that

of an animal.

On the other side, this master’s project addresses emergency

planning and the many challenges it poses for museums. Questions

addressed include: 1) how does a museum plan to save its living collection

without putting staff, volunteers or the public at risk; 2) are there resources

an institution can turn to for assistance, advice and aid; 3) what are the

benefits to the museum for having an emergency preparedness plan in

place that accounts for animals in the collection as well as staff and other

people connected or affected by the institution; 4) what legal requirements

are imposed by the federal and state governments for saving animals and

planning animal evacuations alongside human evacuation? Ultimately,

this project posits that emergency plans and preparedness can be improved

for the benefit of staff, visitors and animals in the collection.

The first section presents the methodology I employed in

researching and writing my thesis. The next section reviews the current

literature in the field in several areas, including human beings’

psychological connection to animals in their care; research and evidence to

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support animal intelligence, sentience and emotional viability; the

evolving debate on animal welfare and legal rights and finally, emergency

planning and preparedness.

Findings from the primary research I conducted, including

interviews, observations, extensive reading and attending an emergency

planning seminar are presented in the next chapter, followed by

conclusions and recommendations for the field.

It should be noted that my research and conclusions emphasize a

lack of preparedness amongst institutions with animals in their collections,

for emergency planning, not necessarily confusion over the stewardship of

the animals in their care in normal day-to-day operations. Also it should

be emphasized that human life is more important that animal life during

emergency disasters for any of these organizations.

Finally, the last section is a description and example of the product

I designed to be a tool that goes with this project to assist organizations

with emergency preparedness. This product can help an organization

assess its readiness to begin the process of planning for emergency

situations. Among the documents included are, Simple and Cost Effective

Emergency Planning that can be used while the formal emergency plan is

being created, Potential Animal Reactions, a Worksheet for Disaster

Planning and some examples of Emergency Instruction Sheets.

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Methodology At the early stage of this project, I conducted an extensive

literature review. The review focused on history of collecting animals,

changing human views toward animal’s welfare and values, current

research in the human psychological connection to animals and, finally,

emergency planning and preparedness in museums and other

organizations. Other areas that I investigated were existing legal rights for

animals and animal welfare regulations imposed by the federal and state

governments and recommended by professional organizations. This

research also investigated the history of human exploitation of animals.

An important aspect to my methodology was 17 professional

interviews and 5 additional correspondences with people in the zoological

field, the museum field, and the emergency management and planning

field; for a full list of interviews and correspondence, see bibliography. I

interviewed professionals from American Zoological Association member

zoos. Speaking with these zoo professionals allowed me insight on the

emergency plans and the preparedness that these organizations have for

their animals. As they are required by the AZA to have plans for escaped

animal emergencies and other natural disasters these organizations’s

information will be used to base interpretation of what are best practices.

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Limitations of Methodology The limits of this project are specific in regards to geography,

museum type and emergency situation. The geographic range of this

project is the Western United States, focusing on major metropolitan areas

like Seattle-Tacoma, the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles.

Museums in this project are non-American Zoological Aquarium

Association institutions, legally allowed to exhibit or collect live animals

by the United States Federal Department of Agriculture but not accredited

as zoos, wildlife preserves, or aquariums. The emergency situations that

this project focused on are terrorist attacks, floods, wildfires and

earthquakes. Other scenarios, geographic locations, and organizations are

beyond the limits of my research and this project, although, the project

may have broader applicability to them. This project will be focused on

the animals, not other kinds of collections. The sample size and interview

scope was limited to San Francisco Bay Area institutions. During my

interview process many of the organizations that initially stated they

would participate in my questioning never responded and thus were not

available for the sample. I was able to speak to staff from two American

Zoological Association (AZA) organizations but only received

information from one non-AZA museum that has animals in the

collection. The issue of animal welfare and animal rights is highly

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sensitive and often political. As a believer in animal rights, who has

worked with and cared for many animals, I acknowledge my bias in the

belief that animals deserve care and respect. However, this project always

maintains that in an emergency situation, saving human lives is the first

priority. Additionally during the interview process one individual stated

that they felt that the questions from my interview were leading.

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Literature Review

The purpose of this chapter is to review literature in order to

provide a background for the issues surrounding the need for emergency

planning and preparation for institutions that have live animals in their

collections but who are not affiliated with the American Zoological and

Aquarium Association (AZA). An example of such an organization is the

Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek, California that has a

collection based on wild animals. However, as a museum, it is a member

of the American Association of Museums (AAM), not the AZA. The

AZA has stringent regulatory measures that specifically speak to

emergency planning for animals in a member’s facility, whereas the

American Association of Museums (AAM) does currently not.

This section touches on four main themes that interconnect the

research for this project: 1) humans’ psychological connection to animals

in their care; 2) research and evidence to support animal intelligence,

sentience and emotional viability; 3) the evolving debate on animal

welfare and legal rights, and 4) emergency planning and preparedness.

The purpose of presenting this material is to show that emergency

planning for museums with animals in the live collections is necessary to

mitigate problems stemming from sudden disaster situations and part of

the ethical responsibility of the museum. Emergency planning will also

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save time, finances and lives, both human and animal. Finally this

information elucidates my belief that animals are entitled to being

incorporated in emergency planning because they are sentient beings with

the ability to fear, feel pain, and comprehend dangerous or emergency

disaster situations.

Humans and Animals – A Relationship

The relationship, or deep bond, between human beings and other

animals has existed since the Neolithic period of history, even before

human beings knew how to write about their relationship and connection

to animals. These relationships with animals extended beyond hunting

and killing to companionship, living with animals and sharing their homes.

There is evidence seen on the walls of caves where people lived and

documented their lives. Human beings have lived with “nonhuman

animals [for] thousands of years before they knew how to record it.”1

However this original, fundamental connection has been changed by

human philosophy and invention. The invention of the sled and harness

allowed people to use horses and other hoofed animals to carry

belongings. The creation of the plow introduced a new use for animals –

farming and food generation.

1 Wise, Steven M. Rattling the Cage: Toward Legal Rights for Animals. (Perseus Publishing. 2000), 10.

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Ancient Egyptians wrote about and depicted animals as important

to their lives and especially the afterlife. Cats were especially revered,

valued as godlike and respected for their close connection to the

underworld and the afterlife. The cat as pet has a history of at least 4,500

years.2 Egyptians also kept dogs for hunting and as pets. Feral dogs and

wolves were the earliest animals that humans domesticated. Wolves and

dogs protected people and helped them to hunt in return for food, shelter

and companionship. Recent information from archaeological digs has

suggested “that the purely companion [animal] arrived . . . some 11,500

years ago.”3 As Laura Chamberlain and Rod Preece explain in the book

Animal Welfare and Human Values “non-human animals have played a

major role in determining the specific forms of humankind’s divergent

cultures . . . [human] history has developed directly out of [our]

relationship to other sentient beings.”4

Ancient Greek philosophers attempted to delineate the relationship

between human beings and animals. Such great minds as Aristotle, Plato

and Socrates believed that “nonhuman animals existed just for us

2 Sarmicanic, Lisa. “Goffman, Pets, and People: An Analysis of Humans and Their Companion Animals. ReVision; (Fall 2004), 6-7. 3 Chamberlain, Lorna and Preece, Rod. Animal Welfare and Human Values. (Ontario: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 1993.), 6-7. 4 Ibid, 5.

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[humans].”5 Subsequently, they believed in human equality but like

Aristotle, they also held that “animals [existed] for the support and service

of man . . . irrational animals take the place of slaves.”6 The book of

Genesis also reflects on the superiority of humans over animals when God

granted mankind dominion “over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of

the air, and every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”7 While the

Bible gives humans a clear place in the hierarchy of our world it does not

speak to how we are supposed to treat those creatures over whom we have

control or dominion.

It is unfortunate for animals that as civilizations developed in the

Western part of the world, “mastery over nature diminished respect for

nature,”8 reinforced the belief that animals were placed on earth for

humankind to use, as tools, currency and amusements.9 Animals were

excluded from legal and ethical codes of justice and behavior. Monarchs

in countries all over the world collected large animals such as Sumatran

tigers and Indian elephants into menageries and kept smaller animals as

companions. In China’s royal court, for example, the coveted companion

animal was the Maltese dog, still seen today competing in modern dog

5 Wise, Steven. Rattling the Cage, 11. 6 Ibid, 15. 7 Genesis 1:28. 8 Chamberlain and Preece, 9. 9 Ibid, 28 – 29.

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shows. Pre-Revolutionary France’s monarch Marie-Antoinette had many

companion pets, including exotic birds, sheep, dogs and cats. The advent

of the Industrial Revolution and Democracy transformed human

relationships to animals, further diminishing their role as tools while

advancing their position as pet and companion. Despite this increasing

connection to animals and legal advances for equality in human rights,

animals continued to be excluded from legal rights or ethical treatment

legislation. Today animals are still beloved companions. In the United

States pets are present in 63% of households.10 People love their

companion animals and often treat them as if they were children, buying

them clothing, toys, vacations and fancy foods. For many people who

don’t have children “pets are serving as surrogate kids . . . [and] more and

more pet owners now depend on their furry and feathered friends for

emotional support.”11 People who develop close relationships with their

companion animals are also convinced of the intelligence and emotional

awareness of those pets, similar to the reverence ancient peoples in

Eastern cultures held for animals.

10 Simmons, Rebecca. “No Pet Left Behind: The PETS Act Calls for Disaster Plans to Include Animals.” (The Humane Society of the United States. 2006). 11 Carmichael, Mary. “Animal Emotions; Pet Owners have long believed their companions love them back. Scientists once scoffed, but now they’re coming around.” Newsweek. (New York: Aug. 18, 2003).

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Animal Emotions and Intelligence

Animal intelligence and emotion have been the subject of

philosophical debate since the time of the Ancient Greeks and Romans.

Most believed that animals “had life, sensation, and impulse, but lacked

emotions, reason, belief, intentionality, thought and memory.”12 As one

contemporary of Homer wrote: “animals devoured each other because

they had not been given the sense of right and wrong.”13Aristotle and his

compatriots also believed that animals lacked intelligence: “the dumb

animal grasps what is present by its sense . . . the future, that does not

concern dumb animals.”14 During the 17th century animals were

considered puppet or machine like, able to follow a set of human created

rules but incapable of independent though.15 What modern and

contemporary science, beginning with Charles Darwin, has discovered

from years of research and behavioral studies is that animals are far from

“dumb.” In fact many species, such as dolphins, primates and elephants,

have complex social structures, including language, memory, problem

solving, and the ability to pass on knowledge as well as emotional based

relationships.

12 Wise, Steven. Drawing the Line, 20. 13 Wise, Steven. Rattling the Cage, 10. 14 Ibid, 15 -16. 15 Pennisi, Elizabeth. “Social Animals Prove Their Smarts.” Science Vol. 312 No. 5781 (American Association for the Advancement of Science. 23 June 2006), 1735.

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A twentieth century pioneer in animal behavior is Jane Goodall,

who believes in animals’ intelligence and capacity for emotion. She says

that “one cannot watch chimpanzee infants for long without realizing that

they have the same emotional need for affection and reassurance as human

children.” Goodall spent years in Africa observing and studying

chimpanzees and gorillas and she described their “behavior with words

like joy, depression and grief . . . [and] her studies were ultimately

irrefutable.”16 Between 1976 and the late 1980s psychologists began to

propose that primates had higher, more humanlike brain capacity that

would allow them to “be able to think about what they are doing and to

understand what others are thinking.”17 There are now many animal

behaviorists, psychologists and biologists who agree that animals have the

sentient capacity to experience emotion, pain and fear as well as joy, and

that they have the potential for higher intelligence. Animals do experience

emotion, and they are sentient beings. The measure to which they are

intelligent depends on the species, the track that their evolution has taken

and in some cases the degree to which they have been encultured by

human beings.

What is the determining factor of humanity? Is it our capacity to

suffer and understand suffering? Or is it our connection to other animals 16 Ibid, 2. 17 Pennisi, Elizabeth, 1735.

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in our lives? Peter Singer, a philosopher of animal rights, intelligence and

emotions, quoted in Animal Welfare and Human Values considers

sentience to be the determining factor. If an animal does not feel pain it

has no rights.18 In the same book, Jeremy Bentham, another philosopher

of animal rights and intelligence is quoted as saying that “since animals

have the potential for suffering their interests must be considered.”19 So is

it suffering that determines intelligence and thus a right to life and fair

treatment? If so then since most animals can experience suffering should

they not be granted fair rights to life? This is an important and

controversial issue – it is suffering or a deeper understanding of suffering

and the understanding of the meaning of suffering that determines level of

sentience for life rights and fair treatment? Does their connection to

humans have an effect on animals, or do animals just cleverly mimic

human behavior? Is this a survival mechanism? Steven Wise, author of

Rattling the Cage and Drawing the Line, noted animal welfare and equal

treatment activist, believes that “the human enculturation of . . . other

nonhuman animals, enhances, activates, perhaps even creates such

advanced cognitive abilities as language, mathematics, other forms of

symbolic representation, and explicit theory of mind.”20 Wise believes

18 Chamberlain and Preece, 267. 19 Ibid, 269. 20 Wise, 267.

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that this association influences animals that have been domesticated or

living with humans. The dog is a primary example. Dogs have been

constant human companions throughout history and have “evolved into

master communicators.”21 Other animals have learned from humans as

well. In his book Drawing the Line, Steven Wise offers examples of many

animals who are learning from humans. Alex the parrot cannot only speak

English but he deciphers letters and colors, and even recognizes these

letters on a screen of a computer.22 Another famous example is Koko and

Michael, two gorillas in Northern California, who were taught American

Sign Language (ASL), English language and given many of the rights and

freedoms humans enjoy. Wise traveled to meet Koko, to communicate

and talk with her. The experience he recounts in Drawing the Line is

strong proof of an animal with not only a developed personality, but one

who can reason and feel loss, happiness and joy. Koko uses thousands of

ASL signs to communicate and also has a vocabulary as extensive as that

of an eight or nine year old human child. How, if this animal can express

herself, her own feelings, thoughts, desires and pain, can we say that she is

“dumb”? In fact Koko, other primates, and dolphins and elephants whom

21 Carmichael, 2. 22 Wise. Drawing the Line. Chapter on Alex.

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researchers have been able to test have passed standardized tests that

determine sentience and also intelligence.23

Almost every person has heard the phrase “memory like an

elephant” or “elephant tears” but has anyone ever wondered where they

come from? Cynthia Moss, an elephant researcher who started observing

elephants in the Amboseli National Park in Africa in the 1970s, believes

elephants have very great cognitive abilities but more importantly an

intense social and emotional connection between family members.24

Elephants develop close family bonds. These families are usually

composed of females. Males are excluded except during mating or for the

very young. Females can form bonds with each other that last a long time

and can become extensive as females have offspring and enlarge the

family unit. Emotion can clearly be seen in two books from Moss’s

research, Echo of the Elephants and Echo of the Elephants: the Next

Generation and is recorded in a television series, Elephant Memories.

“Families may rush together in great excitement, rumbling, trumpeting, shoving, bumping, swaying, sniffing, defecating, urinating, clicking tusks, reaching their trunks into the mouths of others, and secreting profusely . . . the pandemonium may last for ten minutes . . . the more intense the greeting, the closer the relationship among the greeters.”25

23 Ibid. Chapter on Koko and Echo. 24 Moss, Cynthia. Elephant Memories: Thirteen Years in the Life of an Elephant Family. (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. 1988), 128 25 Wise, Drawing the Line, p. 163 – 164 from Poole, Joyce H. The Coming of Age with Elephants. Hodder and Stoughton. 1996, 91, Payne, Katy. Silent Thunder: In the

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Moss is confident that elephants feel intense emotions as well as memory

and learning. She has observed what she describes as “elephantine joy”,26

as well as sorrow, especially in reaction to death; death of a fellow

elephant or close companion as well as a death they themselves have

caused. Moss knows, from her observations and research on elephants

that “elephant death clearly disturbs elephants. They become quiet and

tense and approach a body slowly . . . [while] elephants ignore

nonelephant remains, except perhaps those they killed.”27 This seeming

understanding of death and loss makes an elephant deeply sentient being

according to Singer and Bentham.

Researchers have attempted to give cognitive or intelligence tests

to other animals, including dogs, primates, dolphins and birds. Beyond

the potential physical hazard in testing wild animals, some of whom are

very large and others who live in aqueous environments, testing,

researcher Elizabeth Pennisi notes, is further complicated by our lack of a

common language with animals and our inability to interpret what they are

thinking.28 As Anne Engh, a behavioral ecologist at the University of

Presence of Elephants. Simon & Schuster. 1988, 54 and Moss, Cynthia. Elephant Memories: Thirteen Years in the Life of an Elephant Family. (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. 1988), 128. 26 Moss. Elephant Memories, 125. 27 Wise, Drawing the Line, 170. 28 Pennisi, 1738.

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Pennsylvania, notes: “Until we can come up with creative methods of

testing, we won’t know whether complex behaviors are the result of

animals actually knowing what they are doing or whether they are able to

do complex things using cognitive short cuts.”29

Research published in November of 2006 may prove that dolphins

and whales, specifically humpback whales, are not using cognitive short

cuts. This research, from members of the America Anatomical

Association, allows humans to “appreciate whales for the complex highly

sentient beings with great mental capacity and elaborate communication

systems.”30 Their communication is based on a range of songs that “may

be constructed from a complicated syntax.”31 Though humans do not

understand the exact language it does not mean that a language does not

exist. A report published in the Anatomical Record recently “compared a

humpback whale brain with brains from several other cetacean species and

found the presence of a certain type of neuron cell that is also found in

humans.”32 The specific discovery of “the presence of spindle cells in the

humpback cortex in areas comparable to hominids . . . thought to be

29 Ibid, 1738. 30 Preece, 302. 31 Wise. Rattling the Cage, 269. 32 Wiley, John. “Humpback Whales Have Brain Cells Also Found In Humans” Science Daily November 2006, restated from the original article by Hof, Patrick R. and Van der Gucht, Estel. “The Structure of the Cerebral Cortex of the Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae (Cetacea, Mysticeti, Balaenopteridae)” The Anatomical Record: Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology Volume 290, Issue 1, 2007.

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involved in cognitive processes . . . sperm whales, killer whales and

certainly humpback whales, exhibit complex social patterns that included

intricate communication skills, coalition-formation, cooperation, cultural

transmission and tool usage . . . abilities are related to comparable

histologic complexity in brain organization in cetaceans and in

hominids.”33 The new findings from this research show that this similarity

in composition of brain elements between humans and cetaceans is

scientific concrete proof of the potential intelligence of these animals.

These neuron spindle cells mean that humpback whales and other

cetaceans have can experience diseases that affect humans, like

schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s. What does this discovery imply about the

ethical treatment of animals? Does the composition of the cetaceans’

brains mean they are deeply sentient and possibly cognitively intelligent

enough to communicate with humans, not to mention understand when

they lose a loved one or are hunted and killed or made to suffer? If we

have scientific proof of advanced intelligence in animals what claims can

we make about animals being “dumb”?

Another cetacean known to have an advanced degree of

intelligence and emotional sentience are the myriad species of dolphins.

Dolphins have been known to be friendly to humans for generations.

33 Ibid.

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Ancient mariners told stories of them playing, jumping and following

ships; and even, on occasion, rescuing sailors who were drowning in the

seas. This gentle and understanding treatment of people in distress allows

us to believe in the deeper intelligence of these animals especially since

research has shown that dolphins will aggressively attack and defend their

families and offspring. As Preece explains, dolphins have “complex and

endearing social relationships . . . [and even] occasional rapacious and

warlike tendencies.”34 When attempting to locate a massive school of

fish, dolphins have been observed to send out signals to other dolphins to

come and help. These unaffiliated pods then form huge groups, called

superpods, to hunt fish. What is more impressive about this massing of

dolphins is the way they search. They sweep the ocean in a coordinated,

methodical fashion – a grid-like pattern. This facilitates their speed and

accuracy in locating the fish. The pods then work together to herd the fish

into a group and take turns eating from the massed fish. These complex

interactions, problem solving, cognitive thinking and emotional

attachments show that dolphins and other animals are highly sentient

beings.

34 Preece, 302.

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Animal Welfare, Ethics and Legal Advances – The Collected Animal

Do sentient animals kept by humans for entertainment and

companionship have rights? Many researchers, activists, animal

behaviorists and a large portion of the general public believe that when

humans take animals out of their natural environment, for such purposes

as companionship, labor or entertainment, they are taking responsibility

for the welfare and happiness of the animals. This commitment and

appreciation of the need for animal welfare has evolved slowly. While

activists may have initiated the call for ethical reevaluation, it is public

opinion that has greatly influenced organizations that collect animals to

improve living conditions and welfare.

There is no recorded evidence of how animals kept for

entertainment or companionship were treated in ancient times. We do

know that a pampered lap animal received better treatment and care than

an animal that would be sent into the fighting rings. During the Roman

Empire, animals were often used in gladiatorial combat. At the Coliseum

in Rome animals lived in small underground cages and were kept

perpetually hungry in order to make them more fearsome for combat. In

China the people and the emperor may have been more attuned to

potential intelligence and inherent dignity of animals as sentient beings.

Around “1000 B.C. [there was] an animal park laid out called the Garden

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of Intelligence.”35 Little is known today about this park or even the

meaning behind the name of it but scholars always make particular note of

the name.

After the Middle Ages, as stated earlier, European royalty began

collecting animals for their menageries. However they were more

interested in the competitive aspect of having the largest, rarest or most

exotic collection than in animal welfare. Animals in menageries such as

the one at the Schaumbrum Palace outside of Vienna lived in relatively

small cages with little room for experience and environmental simulation.

An extreme example of disregard for animal welfare is the case of the

great menagerie of Versailles, which was virtually destroyed during the

French Revolution with many animals killed and eaten. In the midst of

their panic and attempts to escape, the royal family gave no thought to the

innocent creatures they left locked in cages at the mercy of the enraged

mobs of people. The surviving animals were taken to Paris’ National

History Museum for care. The Museum was unprepared for the influx of

animals but the employees attempted to care for the animals and preserve

their welfare. These animals were the start of the new zoo in Paris as well

as a new type of collecting institution – the public zoo.36

35 Ibid, 302. 36 Hanson, Elizabeth. Animal Attractions: Nature on Display in American Zoos. (Princeton, MA: Princeton University Press. 2002), 14.

27

During the 19th century animal exhibitions came to America, often

as part of a world’s fair or brought by immigrants who longed for the

pleasure gardens of Europe. These parks and relaxation afforded them

escape from the cities in which they lived and the turmoil and stress of

life. Animals in these zoos were housed in dwellings or cages that were

fancifully decorated and beautiful to look at but completely inadequate for

the needs of the animals kept in them. They were created for the viewing

pleasure of visitors, not for the comfort or welfare of the animals. During

the 1890s, a new kind of zoo concept developed to “display animals

confined within moats rather than behind bars or fences.”37 The man

behind this new stage in zoos was Carl Hagenbeck who said that he

wanted “to exhibit the animals not as captives, confined within narrow

spaces . . . but free to wander from place to place within as large a limits

as possible.”38 Moated exhibits were the first step in the mind of zoo

directors to improve the welfare and enhance the experience of their

animals and give their visitors a view of animal life similar to the animal’s

natural habitat. However these exhibitions still lacked the space for

animals to roam and also authentic flora, fauna and other environmental

elements that existed in the natural habitat of the animals. To the

detriment of animals in many zoos, exhibition spaces were concrete cages 37 Hanson, Elizabeth, 140. 38 Ibid, 141.

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kept bare and clear. They were kept like this because some zoologists

adapted attitudes of human hygiene to animals; this led to an overly

sterilized space. Through the following decades zoos and other animal

display organizations continued to place animals into these diorama type

of exhibits. They were very popular with the public for the opportunity

they afforded to see animals in a ‘natural’ environment surrounded by

other animals in that environment. As more and more organizations

turned to the moat as a method of displaying animals it “lost its capacity to

surprise and engage visitors.”39

At the same time, activists began to publicly question the ethics of

how zoos treated animals. As Tom Regan wrote in his article “Are Zoos

Morally Defensible?” animals “bring a unified psychological presence to

the world. Like us, they are somebodies, not somethings. These animals

are not only in the world, but they are also aware of it – and of what

happens to them. And what happens to them matters to them.” 40 Regan

was arguing that zoo animals are not like paintings in a museum,

inanimate objects, but living creatures who need space to roam and a way

to live the lives they want. He does not attempt to imply that animals are

39 Coe, Jon C. “Design and Perception.” A Different Nature: The Paradoxical World of Zoos and Their Uncertain Future. (Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press. 2001), 206. 40 Regan, Tom. “Are Zoos Morally Defensible?” Ethics on the Ark. (Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. 1995), 44

29

like humans in their needs and understanding of the world around them

but that they do have their own understanding of the world and they

should be allowed to live their lives as thoroughly as possible. This

argument is part of the evolving debate about animal welfare and ethics of

zoological institutions. This debate, in part, sparked a public reaction to

zoos that led many zoo directors and boards of trustees to reevaluate the

mission and purpose of their institutions. In this way zoos began the

movement away from being showcases for exotic and unusual to being

conservation and educational centers to preserve endangered species and

educate visitors about them and their natural environments. Although

initially independent animal activists initiated the ethical debate

surrounding collecting and keeping animals in museums and zoos these

organizations were influenced by public opinion. The role of stewardship

became more apparent and organizations with animals in their collections

became invested in the welfare of their animals.

During the 1970s the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington

took a step toward the welfare of animals in their organization. As Jon

Coe explains in his article “Design and Perception,” the institution

hired the firm of Jones & Jones to design a long range plan for renovating the zoo . . . their goal was to transport visitors . . . to places in nature beyond [the visitors’] access . . . [the zoo] incorporated ideas from animal behavior, such as flight distance,

30

building into the exhibits places for the animals to retreat . . . the biggest innovation in the design . . . was to extend the re-created habitat beyond the [barrier] . . . [allowing] visitors [to] step . . . into the landscape with the animals before they approach the display – the central concept of ‘landscape immersion’41

These new types of exhibitions improved the welfare of the animals by

providing areas for the animals to move out of view of visitors, places to

flee to and also habitats that were much more authentic in regards to the

places the animals originate from. The landscape immersion facilitates

education of visitors about the animals on display as well as the natural

habitat of the animals.

In the United States, zoos are the largest group of organizations

that exhibit animals as a part of a living collection. They do this in order

to teach the public about animals but also in order to preserve many

different species. In order to display animals in the United States an

organization or individual must apply for a permit from the Federal

Department of Agriculture (FDA). There are numerous types of displays

in the United States, from sideshows in rural towns, to circuses to

museums and zoos. The latter two types of animal displays are regulated,

to a certain degree, by professional membership organizations, the

American Association of Museums (AAM) and the American Zoological

and Aquarium Association (AZAA). Yet, the AZAA is the only

41 Hanson, 159 - 160

31

organization with a mandate of welfare criterion for animals on display in

member institutions. According “to the welfare criterion, treatment of

captive animals must achieve a level of well-being comparable to, or

better than, the life they could be expected to live in a wild context . . .

measured by physical criteria, such as longevity . . . [and] psychological

criteria, such as . . . species typical behavior.”42 The measure of criteria is

where most experts disagree widely. Some argue that the loss of an

“inherent value in the state of wildness itself . . . authenticity of experience

lost”43 is a major problem with animals in captivity at all while others

believe that “keeping animals in captivity did not cause then undue stress .

. . [but in fact provided] what wild animals really craved . . . security.”44

In recent decades human perception of the rights and intelligence

of animals has affected the legal environment and government regulation

and legislation. As Wise tells us:

In 1996, the British government banned the use of great apes in medical research . . . [stating] the cognitive and behavioral characteristics and qualities of these animals mean that it is unethical to treat them as expendable in research . . . 1999, the New Zealand Parliament passed a statute that forbid the use of a nonhuman hominid in research or testing45

42 Norton, Bryan and Wuichet, John. “Differing Concepts of Animal Welfare.” Ethics on the Ark. (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. 1995), 238. 43 Ibid, 239. 44 Hanson, 181. 45 Wise. Rattling the Cage, 75.

32

Yet, essentially the law views animals as things, separating them from

humans. Humans have specific dignity rights that are inherent to being

human. Animals are things, with no or very little rights. However, in the

past several months the United States government has enacted several acts

of legislation to appease public opinion, given a changing paradigm in

moral and ethical views of animal rights, welfare and law. As Margaret

Tebo recently wrote in the American Bar Association (ABA) Journal “the

growth of animal law is a recent phenomenon . . . [now] sponsored by 11

state bars.”46

Another impetus for recent action on the government, federal and

state in regard to animals is Hurricane Katrina and the reaction of pet

owners, many of whom risked their own lives and even perished rather

than leave their companion animals. Animal emergency plans and welfare

laws have come to the forefront due to human reactions regarding animals

under their care during the storm. During debates in the Washington State

Senate for animal emergency planning, supporters of the bill state that

careful planning is necessary “to avoid what occurred in New Orleans. In

some instances owners were threatened at gun point, left with the choice

of leaving a pet and getting in a rescue boat, or watching a rescuer shoot

46 Tebo, Margaret Graham. “Pet Project.” American Bar Association Journal. (Chicago IL: Dec. 2005. Vol. 91), 72.

33

the animal.”47 Before Hurricane Katrina “49% of people [said] they

would not leave their pets in a disaster. That number climbed to 61% in

the past year since Katrina”48 and “one recent poll suggest that, if given a

choice, 93% of animal owners would risk their lives to save their pets.”49

There were many families affected by the Hurricane and “it quickly

became clear that humans were not the only victims of these disasters

[Hurricanes Rita and Katrina] . . . thousands of animals in desperate need

of help.”50 In addition, as documented in the product to this master project

on page 79, animals have particular reactions and needs in emergencies

that need to be understood and addressed. As a result, not only have states

passed animal disaster planning laws but “both houses of Congress have

passed the Pet Transportation Standards Act . . . an amendment to the

Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act [to] ensure state

and local disaster preparedness plans take into account the needs of

individuals with household pets and service animals prior to, during, and

following a major disaster or emergency.”51 States that have also passed

some sort of animal evacuation legislation are California, Louisiana,

47 Washington State Senate Bill Report, SB 5106. (Olympia, WA: February 26, 2007), 3. 48 Allen, Laura. “Katrina: The State of Animal Disaster Planning Laws One Year Later.” (Animal Law Coalition. August 29, 2006). 49 Washington State Senate, 3. 50 Simmons, Rebecca. “No Pet Left Behind: The PETS Act Calls for Disaster Plans to Include Animals.” (The Humane Society of the United States. 2006). 51 Allen, Laura.

34

Florida, Hawaii, Maine, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Vermont, New

Jersey, New York and Illinois. These laws and legislation are important

steps to the legal, ethical and moral rights of animals as well as their

protection and safety during emergency disasters.

The State of Emergency Planning

Unfortunately in the United States emergency preparedness and

planning has not been at the forefront of individual or local, state and

federal government agendas or attention. Most people believe that a

disaster incident will not happen to them or their home area because they

believe that in the span of their lives or even an average year disaster is

rare or even unheard of. AZA accredited zoos are advanced in their

practice about disaster planning for animal and human safety, due to strict

accreditation requirements that include emergency planning and

preparedness especially specific in regards to animals. However, other

non-profit museums, including those who have animals in their collections

are no different from the average individual or official government.

Museum News, the publication of the American Association of Museums

published an article in the Winter 2006 issue with the following grim

statistics about museum collections management: “81% have no

emergency plan for collections or lack staff trained to carry out the plan . .

. 76% need additional training . . . 67% have no current assessment of the

35

condition of the entire collection.”52 A core aspect of accreditation for

Zoos and Aquariums, emergency planning and preparedness is a subject

that receives some attention in Rebecca Buck’s classic collection

management book, The New Museum Registration Methods. Yet,

emergency planning in this book focuses on objects and does not feature a

section on animal emergency planning. When Buck does talk about

animals in relation to emergency planning it is in reference to inanimate

objects that are made of or containing animals – not animals themselves.

This book also contains a section on legislation and laws pertaining to the

museum field and animals are included in this section. The book lists the

animal legislation and states that museum compliance is the responsibility

of the museum itself. The list contains the Lacey Act, a summary of

federal laws that promote conservation of wildlife and plants as well as

prohibiting the inhumane transport of animals. However there is no listing

of rules or guidelines for dictating the parameters of such transport.53 It

seems to take a major incident or tragic event to spur people and

government to prepare and plan. Yet, as earthquake expert Sir Bernard

Feilden tells us “disaster preparedness . . . combats the natural inclination

52 Merritt, Elizabeth. “This is Not a Test: Museums and Heritage Preservation.” Museum News. American Association of Museums. November/ December 2006, 47. 53 Buck, Rebecca A. and Gilmore, Jean Allman. The New Museum Registration Methods. American Association of Museums, 1998.

36

of the population to say ‘It won’t happen here – or, not in my time’.”54

Unfortunately, it has taken several major early 21st century disasters rife

with loss of life and property to motivate people to begin to plan and

prepare for disasters because “the effects of a disaster area greatly reduced

if there is a disaster action plan.”55

The first major incidents were the terrorist attacks in 2001 in New

York City and Washington D.C. During those incidents there was much

confusion among the agencies responding, not only about what had

actually happened but also about what to do and how to react. At issue

was a lack of cohesion among the different agencies, Port Authority, the

Police Department, Emergency Services, the Fire Department and other

first responders. Problems included differences in communication method

and equipment, using various radio frequencies, and dissimilar reaction

styles or strategy of what to do and how to help people. The chaos and

excessive loss of life during this disaster event has in part been attributed

to these issues.56 In the aftermath of 9/11, due in part to the disaster

response but also to the major spike in cultural and entertainment venue

attendance, the federal, state and local governments realized that not only

did they need to enforce cooperation between emergency services but

54 Feilden, Sir Bernard M. Between Two Earthquakes, 11. 55 Ibid, 30. 56 Coverage of 9/11 events and the aftermath. Various news and print agencies.

37

there needed to be a standard method to reacting to a disaster situation. To

achieve this they looked at the State of California’s Fire Department’s

Incident Command System (ICS) as method for disaster mitigation. This

federal program is called National Incident Management System

(NIMS).57 It is a system that shows organizations and governments how

to manage responses to emergency situations, including communication

and a specific chain of command. This system is intended to manage

emergency disasters and allow the maximum human life and property to

be saved.

Hurricanes Rita and Katrina were other disasters that decimated

the Gulf Coast of the United States in 2005 and incited another wave of

disaster planning and preparation. The issues for Rita and Katrina were

different than those of the 9/11 attacks. The hurricanes caused massive

damage to a large swath of land and effected many towns and cities.

Confusion surrounded the announcing and then enforcing of an evacuation

before the hurricanes hit. Many nonprofit institutions and their staff were

impacted by the hurricanes. Most were fortunate not to suffer damage or

lose power but some were devastated. In terms of museums, the New

Orleans Aquarium of the Americas was able to survive the hurricane itself,

only losing power but able to rely on its backup generator to provide 57 Vasser, Gail. “Emergency Response Management: What you need to know.” City of Walnut Creek. 2006

38

oxygen to the displays of sea life. Eventually however staff members who

had stayed at the aquarium during the storm were forced to evacuate “by

violence in the nearby business and tourist districts”58 and after they left

the generators ran out of fuel. Jane Ballentine, an AZA spokesperson said,

“they lost a good part of the collection because the fuel and generators that

run the life-support systems gave out.”59 In fact most of the 6,000 animals

in the facility perished. The New Orleans Audubon Zoo fared much better

due, in part, to stockpiled supplies and the zoo’s location on elevated

terrain. The zoo choose to allow most of the animals to choose their safe

places, staff employed “an ‘open house’ policy for animals that normally

stay outdoors. Cranes, flamingos and zebras might panic . . . if enclosed . .

. by staying out in their exhibits, they could choose their own safe spots.”60

Only two otters and a raccoon died at this zoo; thus, their preparations and

emergency planning paid off by mitigating loss of animal life.

During and after the disaster, the massive loss of human and

animal life sparked a public backlash against the local, state and federal

governments for not being prepared to evacuate before the storms, able to

protect people and property and especially for the delay in reaction and

recovery. Public opinion began to shift “after New Orleans residents died

58 Handwerk, Brian. “Aquarium Animals Evacuate New Orleans; Zoo Gets Relief.” National Geographic News. September 9, 2005. 59 Ibid. 60 Bailey, Debra A. “In Harm’s Way.” Boys’ Life. Vol. 96, Iss. 4, Irving, April 2006.

39

because they wouldn’t abandon their pets.”61 In fact “people were fighting

local officials . . .people will not take appropriate measures to take care of

themselves if they can’t take care of their pets.”62 These stories have

inspired the federal and state governments as well as many non-profit

organizations to prepare and plan for animals during emergencies. This

sort of attitude along with the legal and ethical changes that are current in

American society will encourage the protection of animals, beings who

can “not always look to their own interests [making them perhaps more]

entitled to even more protection,” care, welfare and moral treatment by

humans, especially during traumatic emergency disaster incidents. 63

This chapter reviewed literature that has been published and

presented on the topics of human psychological connection to animals in

their care, research and evidence to support animal intelligence, sentience

and emotional viability, the evolving debate on animal welfare and legal

rights, and emergency planning and preparedness. Given the shifting

attitudes of humans toward animal welfare and, in particular, the current

shift in the public opinion of the United States, the next chapter of this

project will focus on professionals working in the museum field currently

61 Shields, Jeff. “How to Save People? Save Their Animals.” Knight Ridder Tribune Business News. Washington: Sep 28, 2005. 62 Monti, Dean J. “Disaster Conference Gives Animal Issues a ‘Seat at the Table’.” American Veterinary Medical Association. 2007, 3. 63 Preece and Chamberlain, 286.

40

as well as emergency preparedness advocates, what they are thinking and

how they are reacting to the need for emergency planning and

preparedness for animals in their institutions.

41

Findings

This chapter presents 17 interviews and e-mail exchanges with 22

staff members from various institutions, extensive reading, and

observation. Additionally I attended an emergency planning seminar, held

in the Concord California police station on February 21, 2007. I was also

able to interview the Executive Director of the organization that ran the

seminar. Two conflicting issues arose during my research. First, most

organizations believe that they do not have the time or finances to

facilitate emergency planning. Conversely, however staff participation

and involvement are significant to emergency planning, and planning and

preparedness can mitigate financial, human and animal loss during a

disaster. In general, I have found that my findings corroborate the

materials I read for my literature review. There is one aspect, however, of

great concern, which was not fully addressed in the review: the apparent

lack of available financial resources for museums with live collections to

create the required emergency planning.

In my interview and e-mail exchanges my questions followed a

specific order so that the questions make sense together and led the

interviewee through the four themes of my literature review. I spoke to

individuals at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum (LWM) an organization in

Walnut Creek California that has a live animal collection and an animal

42

hospital. The LWM’s mission is to connect people with wildlife to inspire

responsibility and respect for the world we share. The San Francisco Zoo

(SFZ) in San Francisco California and the Oakland Zoo (OZ) in Oakland

California are two AZAA accredited public zoos. I elected to speak to

these organizations because I wanted observations and information from

staff at organizations with emergency plans and preparedness in place.

Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) in Walnut Creek

California helps with dog and cat rescues in the Bay Area. I spoke to Beth

Brannock from ARF because the organization is active in promoting

emergency preparedness for pet owners and has connections to emergency

response organizations in the United States. In addition I spoke to a

representative of the City of Walnut Creek, which is the local government

agency in the community in which the Lindsay Wildlife Museum and

ARF operate. I also received information from several other organizations

in the San Francisco Bay Area. I also attempted to speak with staff in the

California Governor’s office on emergency preparedness and the Contra

Costa Animal Services, the organization in charge of animal emergency

disaster preparedness for Contra Costa County, but no information was

forthcoming.

The first question that I asked my interviewees was if their

institution had an emergency plan or set of procedures in place. Most of

43

my interviewees were confident that their institution had a plan for

emergency situations. These plans varied from a complete written set of

procedures and drafts in progress, to purely oral communication and

training. The second question I posed was to find out what types of

emergency situations each institution was prepared for. Indeed, all had

identified emergencies that were specific to the activities of the

organization. For example, the Lindsay Wildlife Museum has snakes in

its collection that the staff handles, so they have a detailed set of

procedures in place for dealing with venomous animal bites. This

organization has animals that can be described as potentially dangerous,

like bobcats, cougars, coyotes and rattlesnakes, so they, as well as the San

Francisco Zoo and the Oakland Zoo, have an animal escape procedure.

Among the other emergency events that the organizations I spoke to have

prepared for are: earthquake; fire response; non-natural disasters like gas

leaks, power loss, and terrorist attack; and short term evacuations as well

as more simple emergencies like a visitor falling down or an irate

customer.

Next I asked for a brief explanation of some of the plans or

procedure for emergency situations. For disasters, the majority of the

organizations have a strict “humans first” priority. Especially if

evacuation is necessary, the people are moved from the building and the

44

animals are left behind. At the SFZ, the goal is to secure the animals into

their night quarters; these are usually indoors and more secure than outside

or exposed daytime spaces. There are animals in lower areas and those

would be moved to higher ground, in preparation for any flooding or water

hazards. The Oakland Zoo is divided into four sections with the elephants

as another separate section. Each section has a supervisor in charge of that

segment of the zoo. If an emergency affects their situation these

individuals are in charge. Each emergency situation is evaluated by the

supervisor and only that person can make decisions about sending out

recapture teams for animal escape or initiating a zoo evacuation. At the

Lindsay Wildlife Museum, the response would depend on the emergency

type and the severity of the emergency as well if there was advanced

notice, for example a wildfire that was a mile away but approaching the

building. According to the staff I spoke to at the Lindsay Wildlife

Museum, the Animal Escape plan is a very important emergency

procedure, for both the animal and the public at large. If any animal

escapes from its enclosure the staff member who spotted it radios in that

there is an animal loose. They must report on what “class” the animal is.

Class distinction for animals in museums and other organizations is

imperative. Class 1 animals are exceedingly dangerous to humans; these

animals include cougars, other wild cats, coyotes and other such animals.

45

If they escape their enclosures, the facility has to be evacuated, the police

called and the animal must be darted, by a trained professional, to be re-

captured or shot if it cannot be re-captured. The process to receive a

license to be a capture and restraint professional for wild animals is both

extensive and expensive. The Lindsay Wildlife Museum has only one

such trained person on staff, Deputy Director and Doctor of Veterinary

Medicine, Dr. Nancy Anderson. In fact during an escaped animal

emergency Dr. Anderson has the final decision in regards to entering the

building and if the animal can be safely darted and secured or if it needs to

be shot.

I wanted to know if these organizations had any sort of priority

hierarchy for checking on animals after an emergency or for any necessary

evacuation. The Lindsay Wildlife Museum has no written policy on

animal priority. The museum’s first priority in an emergency is people:

staff, volunteers and visitors. There are also some rules regarding

evacuations. No staff or volunteer is allowed to venture through the

building to collect animals to take out with them. However, if a staff

member already has an animal in hand, on a glove or is working with one

at the time of an emergency, then they are allowed to take that animal with

them. In fact it is much quicker to evacuate carrying a bird on your glove

than to take the time to put that bird back into its mew. A staff member

46

could put their life at risk by taking time to do so. When I spoke to Marcia

Metzler, the Wildlife Rehabilitation Supervisor at the Lindsay Wildlife

Museum, she was certain that she would evacuate the building and not risk

her life to save an animal; however she said that the situation might be

different if there was an “endangered animal on site . . . [she might] take it

in a cage” because of the fact that it is a rare and endangered animal. 64

After an emergency event the San Francisco Zoo has a hierarchy

for checking on their animals based on the animal classes. The most

dangerous animals are checked first, and then the checker moves down the

groups of animals to the least hazardous. The Lindsay Wildlife Museum

has a somewhat different procedure; some staff noted that the institution

veterinarian would make the priority distinction based on the emergency

and damage caused. Nancy Anderson, the Deputy Director and DVM for

The Lindsay Wildlife Museum, designated that after humans come the

animals of the permanent collection. The animals in the permanent

collection of the museum are part of the Animal Encounters department.

These animals are to be evacuated or checked on second to humans.

Animal Encounter creatures are those that the Museum uses for education.

They are not releasable animals, due to injury or other problems; they can

never be set back into the wild. The third group of animals that would be 64 Metzler, Marcia. Wildlife Rehabilitation Supervisor. Lindsay Wildlife Museum, Walnut Creek, California. Interview, March 22, 2007 at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum.

47

checked on would be those in the hospital or rehabilitation facility. These

are wild animals who are able to be released back into the wild and can

survive. Dr. Anderson also told me that if the animal enclosures are

damaged that the Museum’s trained staff would first check the Class One

animals, the large carnivores and the rattlesnake, followed by the flighted

raptors and then the aquatic animals, unless their tanks are leaking.

Luckily, this Museum has a large number of volunteers who are trained

and prepared to take animals into their homes or farms. In case of the

need to evacuate, it would be a matter of gathering the animals and putting

them into kennels to remove them from the institution. Other staff at the

LWM mentioned that there is no written order of priority for checking on

animals but that they had divided up the collection and assigned animals to

all the Animal Encounter staff. Michele Setter, the Director of Animal

Encounter also told me that there “are boards in the back work area of the

museum to let my staff know where all the animal locations are so that we

can check and account for them.”65

Clarity and ability to understand an emergency plan is essential for

preparedness and during the emergency. Instructions must be logical and

easy to follow. Thus, I asked my interviewees if they thought their

institution’s plans were clear and concise. For the Oakland Zoo, not only 65 Setter, Michele. Director of Animal Encounter. Lindsay Wildlife Museum, Walnut Creek, California. Interview March 29, 2007 at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum.

48

are the plans clear but they are readily available to staff members. Each

staff member receives a printed copy, with procedural training, as well as

a copy is via e-mail, for reference. Organizations that have some set of

plans in place believe that their staff is well trained and could easily

handle a situation.

The City of Walnut Creek follows a plan based on Incident

Command System (ICS) that complies with the California’s Standardized

Emergency Management System (SEMS) and the federal government’s

National Emergency Management System (NEMS). This system

organizes people working for the city into very specific groups that have

detailed job descriptions during an emergency. This system does not take

a lot of training and many people could take on parts because it provides a

framework on how to deal with any emergency situation, it is not a

detailed scenario. Gayle Vassar, Community Relations Manager for the

City of Walnut Creek, explains it like this: ICS allows for a

“framework for managing information and managing resources and managing priorities during emergency disaster. Give tools to create an emergency plan for your organization and institutions. People know specifically what they are supposed to do. It involves setting objectives and checking in to make sure they are finished. Action planning plays a major part, making sure that all know what goals are and that they are being met.”66

66 Vassar, Gayle. Community Relations Manager. City of Walnut Creek, Walnut Creek, California. Interview January 25, 2007 at the Walnut Creek city hall.

49

Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation’s (ARF) plan is still only in

draft form so their staff has not been trained. The LWM has several ideas

on how to make their plan easy to follow during an emergency, including

a clip board containing task cards, maps of places to evacuate to, lists of

people to contact and information on some of the actions to take. The

procedure for their Animal Escape is clear and concise according to Susan

Heckly, the Wildlife Rehabilitation Director. Michele Setter, the Animal

Encounter Director agrees but notes that there has not been an occasion to

actually put it to the test.

As for addressing the needs and safety of animals, beyond

protecting humans, during and after an emergency situation, the responses

were quite varied. In some cases people told me that there were no formal

provisions made for animals, only for people. The San Francisco Zoo

would attempt to contain the animals, provide for the safety of people and

then provide food and water to the animals in their night enclosures, which

are more secure holding places. At the Lindsay Wildlife Museum animal

enclosures have been designed to withstand some damage that potentially

could be caused by an emergency and it has been determined by some of

the senior staff that the animals would be safer if they remain in their

enclosures.

50

Nancy Anderson stated that the Animal Management Committee

of the Lindsay Wildlife Museum discussed animal care and welfare after

disasters and is “confident that they can care for their animals for 3 – 7

days based on house supplies, even if power and water go out.”67 Susan

Heckly believes that even the discussion of writing animal consideration

into the emergency plan will make sure that people are aware of their

needs and that they will be taken care of. Other staff members at LWM

agree that there is no written or formal procedure for caring for animals

during or after an emergency but they are all confident that the animals

would be cared for, especially considering that the LWM has many

satellite locations in the backyards of staff and volunteers to house and

take care of animals. Marcia also told me that the cages most of the

animals in the hospital are kept in are stand alone cages designed not to

crush is anything falls on them and that the aviary in the back of the

Museum would also be fine during most emergencies.

The Oakland Zoo has made a special provision with the Oakland

Police Department with the safety of their animals firmly in mind. In the

event of an animal escape, the Oakland Zoo has the ability to make the

decision to allow their recapture team to attempt to subdue the animal. At

67 Anderson, DVM, Nancy. Deputy Director and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Lindsay Wildlife Museum, Walnut Creek, California. Partial interview and e-mail correspondence, March 22, 2007.

51

the discretion of the Oakland Zoo, the police are not automatically

notified. As long as the police do not enter the Zoo’s grounds, or the

animals leave, the recapture team can attempt to dart the escaped animal

and return it to its enclosure. However, once the police do enter the

grounds of the Oakland Zoo, they have full authority to make the decision

to shoot the escaped animal.68

I wanted to know about the emotional connections between

animals in museum collections and the people who care for them in order

to ascertain the chance that a staff member might risk his or her life to

save an animal. Every single employee or person that I spoke to told me

that they do form emotional bonds with the animals with which they work,

particularly in the Animal Encounters and the permanent collection

animals of the Lindsay Wildlife Museum. The wildlife rehabilitation staff

members of the LWM hospital are actually trained not to form

attachments to the wild animals because that could cause imprinting of the

animal onto humans and prevent its release back into the wild. However,

in the permanent collection of the LWM, many of the keepers do have

special animals that they are more attached to than others. Sarah Erb, an

Interpretive Services Keeper, believes that it is important to feel a

connection to the animals she cares for. Michele Setter told me that it 68 Craft, Brian. Lead Keeper and Animal Welfare Manager. Oakland Zoo, Oakland, California. Interview April 11, 2007.

52

really depends on what level the animals are in the programming at the

museum because that dictates how often the keepers work with an

individual animal. Conversely, Bob Jenkins, the Director of Animal Care

and Conservation for the San Francisco Zoo, says that his organization

works to keep their staff from excessively bonding with the animals, so

several keepers rotate taking care of the animals during the week.

A strong bond to an animal you care for can sometimes cause

humans to act irrationally in an emergency situation, so I asked my

interviewees if they had any concerns about anyone acting differently than

the emergency planning stipulates. Bob Jenkins’ position with the Zoo is

in of itself a safeguard because he is “designated as being in charge and

responsible for ensuring that the procedures are followed.” 69 ARF

continually reminds their staff members that they are just a stopping point

for animals and to limit emotional contact and attachment. At the Lindsay

Wildlife Museum the staff overwhelmingly responded that they have

confidence in the full time, regular staff, but that they are concerned that

the volunteers would attempt to rescue animals and re-enter the evacuated

building. Marcia Metzler even shared a story about a volunteer she had to

go back in and physically drag from the Museum during a fire drill and

believes that it happened because some people become focused on “a 69 Jenkins, Bob. Director of Animal Care and Conservation. San Francisco Zoo, San Francisco, California. Partial interview and e-mail correspondence, February 23, 2007.

53

specific animal that is in front of them and disregard the building all

around them.”70

Some safeguards at ARF include drills in emergency procedure

and providing rationales to the volunteers and staff about why the

emergency procedure is in place. At the San Francisco Zoo, Bob Jenkins’

role is to safeguard the emergency procedures. At the Lindsay Wildlife

Museum some staff members were certain that there were no safeguards

but one person said that there was a sweep team of senior staff who would

go through the Museum on their way out to check for those left behind.

Additionally several members of staff mentioned that there was a chain of

command within the institution that would dictate safeguards based on the

emergency situation.

At ARF, the City of Walnut Creek and the San Francisco Zoo the

people I spoke to did not disagree with any of the procedures or

regulations already in place, nor did they discuss with me improvements

they would like to see. At the Lindsay Wildlife Museum I encountered a

wider variety of opinions. At least three people believed that the Museum

should plan for helping and saving animals during an emergency,

including evacuation during drills and other emergencies. At least two

staff members thought that there were not really any problems but

70 Metzler, Marcia.

54

expressed a desire to see more drills. Three staff members mentioned

animal escapes and recapture teams as being an element to preparedness

that is severely lacking. They thought that training more staff in the

capture and restraint of escaped animals would be a major benefit to the

institution and that funding should be sought to improve this aspect of

emergency planning. Marcia Metzler also talked about using peer

pressure to influence volunteers to follow the correct procedures and that

there is a clip board to keep track of who is in the building.

Some of the people I talked to offered ideas for solutions to

emergency planning; many mentioned the need for more practice and

drills for emergency disasters, especially for animal escapes and fires.

Metzler also mentioned the need for non-Animal Encounter workers, like

the hospital staff, to know the priority of the animals in the non-release

collection. Other staff members at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum also

mentioned the need for additional drills and practicing emergency

procedure. Approximately half of those I spoke to thought that there were

things they disagreed with or missing from planning but none of them

proposed a better solution.

In response to my question, do you feel that the animals in your

collection have a sufficient level of legal and ethical protection from your

institution, the AZA, state and federal government, Devin Dombrowski,

55

Substitute Hospital Supervisor of the Lindsay Wildlife Museum, gave me

a very interesting response. He said that the:

Museum takes care of its collection of animals. The best thing about this collection is that the animal also has a choice to be collected. The behavior of the animal will dictate its choice to be here or not. An example is a female Red Shouldered Hawk; this bird appeared to be unstable and unhappy in captivity, in the mews of the Museum. The bird was jumpy and even with many alternative options of situation the behavior of the bird did not change. It was eventually sent to another institution. Other possible choices for an animal who is unable to adjust to captivity is euthanization or release into the wild, if possible.71

The rest of the staff is uncertain about protection of the collection,

although two staff members did mention that the museum is regulated by

the Federal Department of Agriculture (FDA) as well as the City of

Walnut Creek and Contra Costa County and as one pointed out, the

museum not only meets these regulations but often far exceeds them.

Jenkins of the San Francisco Zoo noted that while animals are not

provided legal rights in the United States – they are protected from harm.

My interviewees overwhelmingly believed in the higher cognitive

function and intelligence of animals. After agreeing that animals have

varying levels of intelligence, everyone had different things to say. Some

believed that it is impossible to determine levels of intelligence in animals

because we cannot communicate directly with them. About half of my

71 Dombrowski, Devin. Substitute Hospital Supervisor. Lindsay Wildlife Museum, Walnut Creek, California. Interview February 22, 2007 at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum.

56

respondents did have more specific opinions, for example, that foxes are

more intelligent than amphibians or snakes or that crows and apes or

chimps require additional complex enrichment in captivity. About 1/3 of

respondents talked about the difference among individuals within a

species group, such that it is important to judge each case and animal

separately and not make broad general distinctions about a group of

individuals.

My next question asked interviewees and respondents if they

would risk their personal safety to save or protect an animal in their care.

Almost all persons I talked to, including the Oakland Zoo, confirmed that

they would in fact act to save an animal but all said that it would depend

entirely on the situation and the level of personal risk involved. Beth

Brannock, Facilities Manager and Therapy Animal Team Coordinator at

ARF, said that she would act to save an animal because it was specifically

in her care and thus feels it is her responsibility to protect the animal.

Most other people I talked to presented similar scenarios, that they would

be willing to be bitten, taloned or climb a ladder to save an animal, but not

to run back into a burning building to rescue an animal or open a cage.

The keepers, administrators and other staff I spoke with at these

organizations expressed the opinion that emergency planning for animals

or preparedness that accounted for animals is critical to prevent problems

57

and mitigate loss. However almost everyone I spoke to also noted that

animal evacuation should not impair the ability of humans to reach safety

during an emergency situation.

In addition to interviewing and corresponding with personnel from

organizations that have animals or serve them I also attended an

emergency planning seminar at the Concord Police Department for non-

profit organizations and interviewed the seminar leader. The seminar was

specifically geared toward San Francisco Bay Area non-profit

organizations and there were a wide variety of attendees, from children’s

groups, to elderly and homeless groups, and animal organizations. After

Ana-Marie Jones, the Executive Director of Collaborating Agencies

Responding to Disasters (CARD) and the seminar trainer introduced

herself and her organization, the attendees introduced themselves and the

group they served. Next Ana Marie talked about disasters in the Bay Area

and the United States and how emergency planning and preparedness has

evolved. She stressed personal preparedness as a key element for

increasing awareness for emergency planning and as a way to get all

members of an organization excited and interested in institutional

emergency planning. As an exercise the group filled out booklets on

personal emergency planning, writing down our out-of-state emergency

contacts, who or what we would think of first during an emergency, and

58

what items in our house we would want saved or rescued during an

emergency. We then into groups and did a couple of teambuilding

exercises that were intended to help us understand how similar each of us

was. Then the seminar came back as an entire group and Ana Marie

talked about the National Incident Management System (NIMS), the

requirements and the framework that is being used, and the Incident

Command System (ICS). She also talked about what ICS is, how to use

the system, and adapt the program for non-profit organizations. In order

to show us how to use the ICS system she had the attendees break into

groups and each group was given a scenario to analyze. My group was

given a moderate earthquake, in Concord, California at the police station,

as our disaster event. We assigned roles and had to explain why each

person was chosen for their role. Then we presented our findings to the

class. The last parts of the seminar were role playing, a couple of

attendees were selected to get up in front of the group to run through a

situation as if it was a real emergency and they were the ones managing

the situation and information to the rest of the group. The rest of the

group acted as the public and constantly gave feedback to the emergency

managers about how they were doing and what the public was feeling

about the information and instructions they were being given. The first

run through was disastrous. Information was not being shared; the person

59

in command was ordering people around and being overbearing and

bossy. The public felt scared and unsupported – they had no idea what

was going on. In the feedback session people talked about how they felt,

what the group did wrong and what they could have done better. Then the

situation was run through two more times, and by the last time Ana Marie

told me that they were acting more professional and with greater accuracy

than actual emergency responder professionals.

On March 28, 2007, a few weeks after the seminar I attended I

interviewed Ana-Marie Jones. At her office in Oakland she candidly

answered my many questions. I first wanted to know how many non-

profit organizations she had worked with on emergency planning and she

informed me that the average was 500 – 600, as she has given both large

trainings to groups of organizations and also to smaller groups, 10 - 25,

personnel at one particular organization. She has presented in-person to

several thousands of people over the last few years, and has reached

thousands more through webcasts and videos. Of those institutions she

has spoken to or worked with she said that 90% have told her that a major

obstacle to emergency planning is staff time while even more have said

that financial resources were an impediment. She asserts that when

preparedness is marketed without the disaster threat, and when it is

designed to address the specific needs of the agency, that many obstacles

60

disappear. She went on to say that even local governments are having a

hard time complying with the new NIMS legislation on emergency

planning. One major reason for this is that the federal government has

created a “one size fits all” cookie cutter program in NIMS leaving no

wiggle room for differing sizes, circumstances or financial resources. One

model does not fit all organizations. A program designed for a tiny town

in Montana would not work if applied to Oakland, California and vice

versa. Ana-Marie called this “trickle down emergency planning” and told

me that it would not work any better than “trickle down economics.” She

is in full support of the idea of NIMS, the idea that the entire country is

required to have a standard for emergency planning. She only finds fault

with the method. What, according to Ana-Marie, is happening, is that the

“federal government is forcing on the country . . . binders written and left

on shelves to be read as people are running from the building after a

disaster strikes.”72 This is the wrong way to write an emergency plan

according to Ana-Marie; it is easy to do but will only give the appearance

that an organization is prepared for a disaster situation. The CARD

organization and Ana-Marie work hard to encourage emergency planning

in light of limited staffing and financial resources, their entire philosophy

is to prepare agencies in order for them to prosper. Rearticulating key 72 Jones, Ana-Marie. Executive Director. CARD, Oakland, California. Interview March 28, 2007 at CARD offices in Oakland.

61

ideas like leadership and teambuilding as well as taking emergency

planning out of a fear based theory. Scaring people into emergency

planning and preparedness has not worked, so CARD set up a different

mindset, one of encouraging a more positive stance of fun, excitement and

working together as a team to accomplish goals.

Ana-Marie and CARD have worked with organizations that have

animals in their collection or that serve the needs of animals like ARF.

These institutions face major obstacles and Ana-Marie explained to me

that funding and staff shortages are only the beginning. A major hurdle to

these groups is that until recently, animals were viewed as a luxury

concept in the United States. As a nation we have never understood that

the animal and pet issue isn’t really an animal issue at all but rather it is a

human issue – humans will put themselves in danger to save or protect

their animals and companions.

There are other impediments to emergency planning. We don’t

construct buildings with safety and preparedness in mind. Additionally

the resistance to thinking in advance means that even when people want to

help they may not be able to or have the resources or planning to help at

all. In fact, Ana-Marie said to me that emergency planning for animal

organizations and animals in general is more important than the general

public at large because they are a vulnerable population. As we saw with

62

Hurricane Katrina, the more helpless the group the greater the need is for

emergency planning and preparedness.

One of the questions I asked was how to force organizations to

comply with emergency planning, and I wondered if the federal

government can or should withhold funding for organizations without

emergency plans in place. Ana-Marie was vehement in her opinion that

this is an extremely bad idea. Mandates without funding, buy-in,

culturally appropriate tools and user-friendly ongoing support encourage

“the faux plan, the binder on the shelf written by an outside consultant –

this gives the appearance of being prepared without actually being

prepared.”73 She did say that making drills and planning fun and relevant

to the institution and their mission can encourage the importance of

emergency planning and compliance; additionally organizational funders

can actually enforce compliance for their individual group. The federal

government should, however, provide funding and assistance to non-profit

organizations, “fund it and make it a required deliverable.”74 This would

be a potential solution to some of the diminished funding that many of

these organizations currently are experiencing.

In summary, my research reveals that there are widely conflicting

beliefs on the particulars of emergency procedures and priorities, even 73 Ibid. 74 Ibid.

63

within one institution, such as the Lindsay Wildlife Museum.

Nevertheless every person I spoke with acknowledges the importance of

emergency planning and a deep concern for animal welfare; but thus far,

theory has not necessarily been put into practice. Staff participation and

involvement are significant to emergency planning and that planning and

preparedness can mitigate financial, human and animal loss during a

disaster. However, as Ana Marie Jones expressed in her interview and

seminar, there are options for museums and ways for them to motivate

their staff to increase awareness and buy in for emergency planning that

takes into account live animal collections. This is essential because staff

know the institution in the way an outside consultant cannot. They are the

ones who will be using the emergency plan and reacting to a disaster.

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Conclusions and Recommendations

My research, interviews, observation and experience have led me

to the following conclusions about animal welfare in museums with live

animal collections during an emergency disaster. Based on these findings

and conclusions I propose a series of recommendations for any museum or

non-profit organization that has animals in the collection. The purpose of

my recommendations is to increase awareness of the importance of

emergency planning and preparedness for these institutions, their staff,

and the animals in their care.

Conclusions

A clear and concise emergency plan in connection with consistent

drills and practices is critical to the safety and security of humans and

animals in museums with live animal collections. All museums,

especially those with live animals in their buildings, should have written

emergency plans and procedures. Staff members should have access to

the plans and procedures, and there needs to be intensive training and

drilling for emergency situations.

Yet, it does not seem to be a priority because of financial

constraints and unclear policies and procedures. Organizations do not

realize that staff members can be confused about action plans and

procedure during an emergency situation, especially if there has been

65

limited communication and no practicing. Museums feel isolated and

confused by government agencies; some of the organizations I spoke to

have chosen to oppose working with these groups. Due to issues

surrounding cuts in funding and resources provided to them by

government organizations, most museums feel that they must look out for

themselves, and thus are resistant to collaboration with outside

governmental organizations.

Recommendations

Emergency planning must be made an internal priority for

institutions that have live animals in their collections and on display to the

general public. Emergency planning and preparedness is essential to

mitigating loss of life and property during a disaster or emergency

situation. Planning should be written into museum policy and there needs

to be specific procedures in place that dictate guidelines surrounding

emergency events in the organization.

Museums with animals need to train and unite their staff. All staff,

including volunteers must be committed to the process and fully trained in

emergency scenario reaction and policy. If staff or volunteers are not

willing to work with the museum and go through the training process then

the organization should evaluate their continuing connection with the

museum.

66

Another element the museum must make clear in policy and to all

staff and volunteers; during an emergency situation that involves animals

the organization’s veterinarian is the one who is in charge – the final

authority. She or he will be the one who determines the proper course of

action regarding the animals due to their experience, professional training

and position within the museum. Volunteers should not make decisions or

take actions during a drill or disaster event that goes against procedure in

any circumstances.

Training for staff and volunteers is essential to emergency

planning and preparedness for an organization. Teambuilding activities

increase awareness of the importance of planning and teach the benefits of

preparedness. Training should be used for emergency response,

institutional procedure, and rules, as well as discussing the issue of

emotional bonding with animals in the museum’s care. Training that

includes the reasoning behind the institution’s plan and procedure will

increase understanding for all staff, and multiply the probability of

accurate actions during an emergency disaster. Training classes and

seminars, with an organization like Collaborating Agencies Responding to

Disasters, explain emergency preparedness and response while promoting

the fun aspects of planning. Showcasing the characteristics of emergency

preparedness that are fun and positive will encourage staff to embrace and

67

commit to emergency planning, thus increasing participation and

involvement. Additionally, staff and volunteers need to understand how

animals normally are expected to react during disasters. This information

is summarized in my product that follows this paper.

Museums will be able to see that emergency planning, while time

consuming, is feasible and cost effective. A major element to emergency

planning is practice drills. There are as many types of drills as there are

emergency scenarios. In order for an organization to be fully prepared it

should practice for all potential emergencies, fire drills, earthquakes, and

escaped animal are some of the most critical to a museum with animals.

These are the emergencies that usually pose the most danger for the

animals of the collection, the staff and volunteers as well as the general

public. As for the drills, they must happen at regular intervals; once per

quarter is necessary. Additionally, these drills must be random and

consistent. What I specifically mean is that the drills need to be practiced

a set number of times in a year, and these drills should happen when the

staff members of the museum are not expecting them; varied as far as date,

time and type of drill. For emergency planning and preparedness to be

successful, proper practicing, repeatedly going over actions, is necessary,

and will help people act appropriately, even under the stress and pressure

of an emergency disaster.

68

Emergency planning groups can help an organization work with its

staff on communication and training. Museums should work with an

organization, like non-profit Collaborating Agencies Responding to

Disasters, who emphasize the important aspects of emergency drills and

prepare trainings that are fun and educational. Taking a class or attending

a seminar is beneficial; attendees complete worksheets about their own

personal preparedness for a disaster. This individual experience increases

empathy for the reasons behind planning for emergency situations. Once a

person understands how they are affected by disaster, they become more

sensitive to others’ reactions to disaster, especially those who are more

helpless than they or dependant on them for safety and care. Making staff

aware of how important practicing is will also help with their

understanding of and commitment to emergency planning. As my

findings show and as experienced from the emergency preparedness

seminar; practicing is the best way to improve on reaction and actions for

emergency situations.

Communication is essential in order to decrease uncertainty for the

staff. A museum with live animals in the collection should assign one

individual to be the point person during an emergency situation. That

person is in charge of making final decisions and assigning duties to other

staff members, volunteers, and visitors, if necessary. The designated

69

museum point person would be the head of a chain of command for an

institution. This chain of command will eliminate confusion when the

designated point person is not on site and prevent crossing of commands

and assignments; everyone will know who is supposed to be making

decisions.

Organizations, once they have prepared an emergency plan, need

to provide the staff members with access to the procedures and the plan.

As stated above, repetition is one of the best methods for teaching

information. Hence, if you give staff members copies of emergency

procedures in written form, via email, and through training sessions, they

will be exposed to the information more frequently and be able to absorb it

better. Having multiple copies of the plan and procedures accessible in

locations around the institutions will reduce the anxiety of staff during an

emergency disaster because they will have access to it.

Museums must recognize the importance of collaborating with

city, state and the federal governments. These agencies have resources

that can aid museums during emergency disasters. Understanding what

federal and state obligations to organizations with animals are will help

the museum in the event of a disaster. It is necessary for museums that

have animals in their care and collection to assign a single employee from

the organization to liaise with the city and county governments.

70

Additionally, an understanding of federal regulations and what potential

for assistance exists, in the wake of a disaster, is fundamental to rebuilding

after an emergency situation.

Museums have animals in their collections because human beings

feel an important, emotional connection with them. As sentient beings,

animals remind us of the world that we live in and share with them. Our

lives have been intertwined with animals since the Neolithic period and

they deserved to be protected and considered by us, particularly during an

emergency situation when their dependence on humans is especially

apparent.

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Product Description

The product of this master’s project is a series of documents and

list of links to sites that will aid and assist an organization in the process of

emergency planning. Its purpose is to provide information, links and

access to resources and contacts for emergency planning and

preparedness. The focus of the information is on non-profit museum

organizations that have animals in their collections.

Information contained within the product:

� Animal reactions to disaster situations.

� Checklists for preparing emergency kits, staff and building for a

disaster.

� Model of emergency instruction sheets for several disaster events.

� A worksheet that is an outline of the necessary information for an

organization during an emergency disaster.

� Links to resources, grants, programs and funders.

� Links to organizations who can aid in emergency planning,

preparation and recovery.

72

Bibliography

Books Buck, Rebecca A. and Gilmore, Jean Allman. The New Museum Registration Methods. American Association of Museums. 1998. Bulliet, Richard W. Hunters, Herders, And Hamburgers: The Past And Future Of Human-animal Relationships. Columbia University Press. September 30, 2005. Bonner, Jeffrey P. Sailing With Noah: Stories from the World of Zoos. University of Missouri Press. April 21, 2006. Coe, Jon C. “Design and Perception.” A Different Nature: The Paradoxical World of Zoos and Their Uncertain Future. Berkeley and Los Angeles Univ. California Press. 2001. Dorge, Valerie and Jones, Sharon L. Compiled by. Building an Emergency Plan: A Guide ! Getty Trust Publications: Getty Conservation Institute. February 3, 2000. Feilden, Sir Bernard M. Between Two Earthquakes: Cultural Property in Seismic Zones. The Getty Conservation Institute. 1987. Hanson, Elizabeth. Animal Attractions: Nature on Display in American Zoos. Princeton University Press. 2002. Jasper, Esq., Margaret C. Animals Rights Law. Oceana’s Legal Almanac Series: Law for the Layperson. Oceana Publications, Inc. 1997. Kisling, Vernon N., Jr. Zoo and Aquarium History: Ancient Animal Collections to Zoological Gardens. CRC Press LLC. 2001. Malaro, Marie C. A Legal Primer on Managing Museum Collections. Smithsonian Institution Press. 1998. Maple, Terry, McManamon, Rita and Stevens, Elizabeth. “Defining the Good Zoo.” Ethics on the Ark. Smithsonian Institution. 1995.

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Moss, Cynthia. Elephant Memories: Thirteen Years in the Life of an Elephant Family. University of Chicago Press. 1988. Norton, Bryan and Wuichet, John. “Differing Conceptions of Animal Welfare.” Ethics on the Ark. Smithsonian Institution. 1995. Payne, Katy. Silent Thunder: In the Presence of Elephants. Simon & Schuster. 1988. Poole, Joyce H. The Coming of Age with Elephants. Hodder and Stoughton. 1996. Preece, Rod & Chamberlain, Lorna. Animal Welfare & Human Values. Wilfrid Laurier University Press. 1993. Regan, Tom. “Are Zoos Morally Defensible?” Ethics on the Ark. Smithsonian Institution. 1995. Singer, Peter. Animal Liberation. Avon Books. 1990. Wise, Steven M. Drawing the Line. Perseus Publishing. 2002. Wise, Steven M. Rattling the Cage: Toward Legal Rights for Animals. Perseus Publishing. 2000.

Journals and Periodical Articles Bailey, Debra A. “In Harm’s Way.” Boy’s Life. Irving: Apr 2006. Vol. 96, Iss. 4. Carmichael, Mary. “Animal Emotions; Pet Owners have long Believed their Companions love them back. Scientists once scoffed, but now they’re coming around.” Newsweek. New York: Aug. 18, 2003. Handwerk, Brian. “Aquarium Animals Evacuate New Orleans; Zoo Gets Relief.” National Geographic News. September 9, 2005. Hof, Patrick R. and Van der Gucht, Estel. “The Structure of the Cerebral Cortex of the Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae (Cetacea, Mysticeti, Balaenopteridae)” The Anatomical Record: Advances in

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Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology Volume 290, Issue 1, 2007. Merritt, Elizabeth. “This is Not a Test: Museums and Heritage Preservation.” Museum News. American Association of Museums. November/ December 2006. Monti, Dean J. “Disaster Conference Gives Animal Issues a ‘Seat at the Table’.” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. May 15, 2000. Pennisi, Elizabeth. “Social Animals Prove Their Smarts.” Science, Vol. 312, Issue 5781. American Association for the Advancement of Science. 23 June 2006. Sarmicanic, Lisa. “Goffman, pets and people: An Analysis of Humans and Their Companion Animals.” ReVision; Fall 2004; 27, 2; Research Library. Tannenbaum, J. “Ethics and Welfare: The Inextricable Connection.” Journal of American Veterinarian Medical Association. 198(8): 1360 – 1376. Tebo, Margaret Graham. “Pet Project.” ABA Journal. Chicago: Dec. 2005. Vol. 91. Wiley, John. “Humpback Whales Have Brain Cells Also Found In Humans” Science Daily. November 2006.

Newspaper Articles

Crampton, Thomas. “Noah Wouldn’t Have Left Behind the Emus and Pythons.” New York Times. New York, N.Y.: Sep 16, 2004. N.p. Lilyestrom, Betty. “Animal Care Focus of Bioterror Lecture; Plan in Effect since ’01.” Telegram & Gazette. Worchester, Mass.: Nov. 21, 2003. N.p. Malnic, Eric. “Zoo Says It’s Prepared if Catastrophe Strikes.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, Calif.: May 8, 1997. N.p.

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Shields, Jeff. “How to Save People? Save their Animals.” Knight Ridder Tribune Business News. Washington: Sep. 28, 2005. N.p.

Websites Allen, Laura. “Katrina: The State of Animal Disaster Planning Laws One Year Later.” Animal Law Coalition. http://network.bestfriends.org/News/PostDetail.aspx?np=7171&g=9fa3c167-0062-4e91-b552-f6af6ae37970, accessed; August 29, 2006. American Veterinary Medical Association, Barbiers, Dr. Robyn, Guerreo, Diana and Wright, Kevin M. “Disaster Preparedness and Response Guide.” American Veterinary Medical Association. http://www.avma.org/disaster/responseguide/responseguide_toc.asp, accessed; December 12, 2006. Butler, Rhett. “New Orleans Zoo escapes Hurricane Katrina; Aquarium suffers heavy losses.” Mongabay. http://news.mongabay.com/2005/0830-new_orleans_aquarium.html, accessed; September 9, 2006. CNN. “Katrina kills most fish in New Orleans Aquarium.” CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/09/07/katrina.zoos/, accessed; September 17, 2006. Institute for Marine Mammal Studies. “Hurricane Katrina Destroys Marine Life Oceanarium.” http://www.dolphinsrus.com/marinelifedestroyed.php, accessed; October 23, 2006. Simmons, Rebecca. “No Pet Left Behind: The PETS Act Calls for Disaster Plans to Include Animals.” The Humane Society of the United States. http://www.hsus.org/pets/pets_related_news_and_events/no_pet_left_behind_the_pets.html, accessed; October 23, 2006.

Other Documents Association of Zoos & Aquariums. Accreditation Standards and Related Policies. Association of Zoos & Aquariums. 2007.

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Lindsay Wildlife Museum. Escaped Animal Procedure. Lindsay Wildlife Museum. 2001. Vasser, Gail. “Emergency Response Management: What you need to know.” City of Walnut Creek. Power Point presentation. 2006.

Interviews/ Correspondence Anderson, DVM, Nancy. Deputy Director and Veterinarian. Lindsay Wildlife Museum. Bernard, Chris. Operations Director. Lindsay Wildlife Museum. Brannock, Beth. Facilities Manager and Therapy Animal Team Coordinator. Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation. Craft, Brian. Lead Keeper and Animal Welfare Manager. Oakland Zoo. Dombrowski, Devin. Substitute Hospital Supervisor. Lindsay Wildlife Museum. Erb, Sarah. Interpretive Services Keeper. Lindsay Wildlife Museum. Finch-Morales, Nikki. Director of Wildlife. Coyote Point Museum. Heckly, Susan. Wildlife Rehabilitation Director. Lindsay Wildlife Museum. Hoenerhoff, Kim. Program Assistant, Accreditation Programs. Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Hui, Eunice. Lead Keeper. Oakland Zoo. Jenkins, Bob. Director of Animal Care and Conservation. San Francisco Zoo. Jones, Ana Maria. Executive Director. Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disaster. Lord, Mike. Animal Keeper. Lindsay Wildlife Museum

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Manley, Dawn. Animal Husbandry Manager. Lindsay Wildlife Museum. McClure, Joan. Emergency Planning Consultant. Pet Emergency Planning. Conley, Sheila A. Safety Officer. Safari West. Metzler, Marcia. Wildlife Rehabilitation Supervisor. Lindsay Wildlife Museum. Pfau, Jason. Animal Keeper. Lindsay Wildlife Museum.

Rowden, John. Preparedness Branch. Governor's Office of Emergency Services. Setter, Michele. Director of Animal Encounters. Lindsay Wildlife Museum. Vassar, Gayle. Community Relations Officer. City of Walnut Creek. Willis, Jarrod. Animal Program Manager. Lindsay Wildlife Museum

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Museum

Emergency Response

and

Preparedness;

a Handbook

79

Table of Contents Is Your Organization Ready for Emergency Planning 80 Simple and Cost Effective Emergency Planning 81 Potential Animal Reaction 82 Worksheets for Disaster Plan 88 Example Emergency Instructions Sheets 98 Related Links 109

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Is Your Organization Ready for Emergency Planning? Before you begin: � Review rules, regulations and laws for your area as well as

those designated by the federal government. � Complete a serious evaluation of your organization:

� Assess feeling of staff members. � Size of facility. � Animals present, type and number, do an

inventory. � Location and risk assessment.

� Create a committee who will be proactive in this process. � Designate a point person for organization to communication. � Use the Quick and Efficient Emergency Plan provided

within this packet until final organization’s plan is complete. � Commit to making a change and preparing for emergencies. � Set up a drill system, the Emergency Worksheet attached to

this packet can assist in this process.

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Simple and Cost Effective Emergency Planning List of location and quantity of

� fire extinguishers � first aid supplies � food stocks (human and animal) � flashlights � battery powered radio � water (acceptable for human and animal consumption) � buckets � crowbars � shovels � lumbar or useable wood � carts or hand trucks

If the institution doesn’t have any of one or more of these items, purchase them. Gather significant institutional, animal and personnel information and some equipment, first aid, food stocks, water, flashlight, extra batteries, battery powered radio. Place into easily portable water proof packages (such as sports bags). Label bags and store in a secure but easily accessible location. Also include a laminated layout of building and immediate surrounding are with evacuation meeting point indicated. Create simple to follow, laminated instructional fact sheets for following operations and locate them near item or system they refer to. Fact sheets:

� How to shut off alarms. � How to operate fire extinguisher. � How to start emergency generator. � How to shut off gas supply. � How to set up a temporary morgue.

Create a list of names, addresses and telephone numbers of security personnel, building contractors, vendors and all staff. Store all important institutional documents and copies of critical keys in a secure, fire proof, water proof off-site location. Create a small business sized card, laminated, that has contact information for important staff members. Give to all staff for emergency use – update regularly. Develop liaison with local emergency services, call and introduce yourself and institution. When creating an emergency plan for the future be sure to include non-employees. They can be an asset if properly directed during an emergency by giving out jobs and responsibility.

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Potential Animal Reaction Large Carnivores: During a disaster event carnivores may be disoriented. They will flee from perceived threats if possible and may attack any humans present, if no escape route is available. Neonatal juveniles and geriatric animals are at greater risk of injury due to exposure or exhaustion. Immediately after a disaster event a large carnivore may remain near a familiar environment. They will seek a secure hiding place and begin cautious exploration when environment becomes less threatening. Cats will usually begin searching for food at night. Carnivores may return to familiar holding areas if baited with food and the area is kept quiet and free of humans. Directed movement by providing directed escape routes is difficult at best but can be tried by experienced personnel. Chemical immobilization is considered the best option to move these animals. Recapturing a carnivore should not be attempted without an armed response present. The recommended choice of crisis situations that involve potentially dangerous animals is the bolt action rifle. An attempt to kill a carnivore should only be undertaken by skilled marksmen, as wounded carnivores are extremely dangerous. Care of a large carnivore after a disaster event: Animals should be housed individually in small enclosures. Large metal-lined crates (4’x5’x10’) with 25% surface area of bars or wire mesh for ventilation can be used. Heavy chain link or ¼ welded wire topped enclosures can hold most cats except lions and tigers. Portable water should be available at all times. Cats require fresh meat or a frozen diet daily at 5% of body weight. If fresh meat is used long term, vitamin supplementation will be required to correct Ca:P imbalance. Large carnivores are susceptible to hyperthermia – shade and water must be provided at all times. Most species are fairly cold tolerant if shelter from wind is provided. These animals are easily stressed by loud noises and human presence. They should be kept in quiet areas away from traffic, noises and inquisitive people.

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Health Risks for Large Carnivore following a disaster: Unsanitary conditions, contaminated food and improper food handling may result in gastrointestinal disease. Goals: Provide secure environmental, portable water and adequate nutrition. Attend ill or injured animals as circumstances permit. Humanely destroy or dispose of animals that are moribund, have intractable injuries, or that endanger people. Return animals to original facilities if intact or arrange for transfer to adequate facilities outside of the disaster area.

Small Carnivores During a disaster event small carnivores may become disoriented. They will flee and attempt to find a secure hiding spot. Immediately after a disaster event small carnivores are likely to remain in familiar surroundings. They will seek secure hiding spots and as the environment becomes less threatening, they will begin cautious exploratory behavior. Injured and hungry animals are less predictable and usually exhibit more aggressive behavior. Live trapping can be attempted as well as some degree of directed movement by providing directed escape routes. Chemical immobilization may be the preferred option. Care of Small Carnivores after a disaster event: Animals should be housed individually, unless social structure is definitively known. Sky kennels or portable dog kennels can be used if a secure locking mechanism is available. Fresh water, adequate ventilation and shade are necessary. Most of these animals will consume fresh meat such as mice, rabbits, and chicken. Some will consume canned cat or dog food and some will eat dry food if more preferred feed is not available. Many of these animals can tolerate cold temperatures if bedding is available and they are sheltered from wind. They should be kept in a quiet, darkened area away from traffic, noises and inquisitive people. Health risks for small carnivores after a disaster event: Hyperthermia due to hot, humid environments or exhaustion after (re)capture is a principal risk for carnivores. Shade, free air movement and rest will alleviate these problems. These animals are susceptible to most domestic canine and feline infectious diseases. They should be kept separate from any domesticated carnivores.

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Unsanitary conditions or feed items containing high levels of bacteria may result in enteritis, particularly salmonellosis. Secondarily, diarrhea, dehydration and septicemia may develop. Goals: Provide secure confinement. Provide adequate nutrition and water. Attend sick or injured animals as circumstances permit. Humanely destroy and dispose of animals that are moribund, have intractable injuries or that demonstrate a risk to humans. Return animals to original facilities if intact or arrange for transfer to facilities outside the disaster area.

Small Mammals During a disaster event these animals will tend to flee and find the first available “safe” hiding spot. After an event these animals will remain hidden until hunger and thirst become driving forces. They will venture out during periods of decreasing light and outside activity to begin foraging and hunting. These animals will be rarely seen, baited traps is the best method for capture. These animals are not aggressive unless threatened and unable to flee. Care of small mammals after a disaster event: These animals should be housed individually in small sky kennels or crates unless distressing to the animal. Many of these animals will dig or gnaw so crate materials should be impenetrable and inspected frequently for damage. Mortality tends to be high after capture. Animals should be kept in a quiet, darkened area, away from loud noises, traffic and inquisitive people to minimize injuries. Diets are varied. Insectivores can survive on chopped meat, hard-boiled egg, milk and produce. Herbivores should be given pellets (rodent or rabbit chow), produce, and good quality hay. Portable water should be available at all times. Good sanitation is essential. Health risks for small mammals after a disaster event: Unsanitary conditions may develop because of the difficulty of cleaning crates. Bacterial diseases, especially enteric, can be fatal. Leptospirosis, enteropathies, pseudotuberculosis, and pasteurellosis are common. Many small mammals are susceptible to intestinal microfloral disturbance with antibiotic use. Antibiotics that significantly reduce gram-positive organisms may be fatal if used in some species, especially rodents. Broad-spectrum antibiotic combinations may be useful. Tropical small mammals are not acclimated to cooler climates and supplemental heat should be provided. Shade and adequate ventilation should be provided for all species.

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Goals: Provide safekeeping, adequate nutrition and water. Attend injured or ill animals as circumstances permit. Humanely destroy and dispose of animals that are moribund, have intractable injuries or that demonstrate a risk to humans. Return animals to original facilities if intact or arrange for transfer to facilities outside the disaster area.

Birds Due to the diversity in this group the museums must clearly delineate the avian needs according to the specific animals in the live collection and the needs of the most likely animals in their collection. During a disaster event birds will vary in behavior depending if they are wild caught or captive reared. Most will be nervous in a crisis situation or when removed from their normal surroundings; some will be disoriented. Immediately after a disaster event the tendency overall will be to flee. Territorial animals that have escaped may stay in close proximity, while colony animals will return to be with their flock members. Food seeking activity will begin almost immediately in many species. Fitness and conditioning will have a bearing on the distance these animals travel. Leaving food and water out is essential for many of these creatures, but the risk of loss to predators is high. Using the lure of conspecifics can work well with some animals, baited traps and mist nets are recommended if capture is necessary. Care of Birds after a Disaster event: It is best to keep these animals in their repaired cages or in temporary enclosures. Filtered light or covered housing areas will help keep most birds calm. In some cases, caging should be kept covered and the animals isolated from noise and high traffic. Perching and wire cages are important for many species. More delicate animals will suffer from stress if they remain on the caging floor without perching options. Food options will vary greatly according to species. Pelleted food, seeds, insectivorous or carnivorous dietary needs should be addressed. Both food and potable water need to be changed and provided fresh daily. A through assessment is advised so that emergency provisions can be arranged.

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Health Risks for Birds after a Disaster: Stress related complications are the biggest risk. Care should be taken to splint broken wings or other appendages. A bird specific coagulant should be included for broken toenails, blood feathers and related uses. Risks for birds can include enterpathogens, Aspergillosis, and sometimes Salmonella, or Psittacosis. Other dangers include conjunctivitis or the ingestion of strange objects. When housing an avian species, separate quarters away from mammals are recommended. Avian diversity is a challenge. As a general notation, if a bird is traumatized or ill, lower perches and put food and water dishes on the floor of caging for easy access. Cage bottoms, food and water dishes should be cleaned on a daily basis. Goals: Provide for safekeeping, adequate nutrition and water. Attend injured or ill animals as circumstances require and resources permit. Humanely destroy and dispose of avian specimens that are moribund, have intractable injuries or that demonstrate a risk to humans or other animals. Return animals to original facilities if intact or arrange for transfer to facilities outside the disaster area. Disaster Kits and Transport/ Housing Ideas: Some of the biggest concerns are how to move avian species and where to find the space to store supplies that may be needed. Holding crates and vehicles are big priorities if evacuation or transportation is needed or in the event of damage to holding area in facility. Collapsible wire dog crates can be lined on the outside with mesh and attached with wire crimps. These crates can be stored without taking up a lot of space and will allow for ample ventilation. If partitions can be designed and implemented then multiple birds can be housed and transported in each crate.

Reptiles Snakes, lizards and turtles are likely to leave their enclosures if a suitably sized opening occurs. Most escaped reptiles will seek cover immediately. The path of an escaped reptile is unpredictable but once a reptile has reached a suitable hiding spot it may remain there for a considerable length of time. For this reason, escaped reptiles are unlikely to be obvious in the immediate aftermath of a crisis. Some reptiles become aggressive when approached and may attach human beings if they perceive that they are being confined. Lizard species will

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bite and whip with tails if cornered or perceive attack. All snakes will strike and bite if provoked. Turtles will attempt to bite if picked up or handled. If a dangerous reptile is loose, it is highly recommended that human workers use the buddy system to ensure assistance is immediately available id a dangerous reptile is encountered. The recapture rate is likely to be low, especially of snakes. Snakes and lizard species are most likely to be encountered by workers removing any debris from an area and proper precautions should be enacted to prevent bites and injury. All snakes should be treated as venomous unless a positive indemnification can be made otherwise. These snakes may strike without warning; human workers should wear high leather boots and long pants if a venomous snake is suspected of being at large. It is imperative that any snake involved in a bite be identified. The snake should be secured by any safe means possible, up to and including killing the snake. Recapture of Snakes and Lizards: All snakes should be handled with extreme caution until they are identified be a facility designated person or expert as harmless or non-venomous. A snake hook should be used to maneuver the snake and whenever possible lift and direct the snake. Many snakes can be encouraged to enter a dark cloth bag or garbage can turned on its side. Any snakes in bags should then be placed inside a solid containment device (e.g., wooden box, garbage can with lid taped in place). If a venomous snake cannot be captured and contained safely, it should be killed.

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Worksheet for Disaster Plan Institutional Information

Name of Institution:

________________________________________

Date of completion:

__________________________________________

Date of first review:

__________________________________________

Dates of next review:

________________________________________

________________________________________

________________________________________

Locations where plan is on file (on and off premises)

________________________________

________________________________

________________________________

________________________________

________________________________

________________________________

_________________________________

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Staff members to be called in case of a disaster:

Position Name Home Phone Cell Phone

Chief

Administrator ___________ __________ __________

Disaster Recovery

Team Leader ___________ __________ __________

Building Supervisor

___________ __________ ___________

Animal Hospital

Team Leader __________ ___________ ___________

Live Collection

Team Leader __________ ___________ ___________

Veterinarian __________ ___________ ___________

Disaster Recover Team Members:

Name Home Phone Cell Phone

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

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Who on the staff has a copy of this plan and is familiar

with its contents?

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

Services Needed in an Emergency

Service Company/ Name of Contact Phone

Number

Front Desk __________________ _________________

Veterinarian _________________ _________________

Fire

Department __________________ _________________

Police/ Sheriff _________________ _________________

Ambulance __________________ _________________

Insurance

Company ___________________ __________________

Legal

Advisor ___________________ ___________________

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Salvage

Company ___________________ _________________

Animal Rescue

Service ___________________ _________________

Contra Costa

Animal Service ________________ _________________

Computer

Service _________________ ________________

Building

Contractor _________________ ________________

Electrical

General _________________ __________________

Heating or Air

Conditioning ________________ __________________

Locksmith _________________ __________________

Other _________________ __________________

_________________ __________________

_________________ __________________

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On-Site Emergency Equipment (with location)

Labeled floor plans attached to document.

Item Location(s)

Keys

___________________________________________________

Main Utilities:

Electrical cut off

____________________________________________

Main water shut off

____________________________________________

Main gas shut off

____________________________________________

Sprinkler system

____________________________________________

Heating/ cooling system

____________________________________________

Fire extinguishers

Type A

____________________________________________

Type B

____________________________________________

Type C

____________________________________________

Fire Alarm boxes

____________________________________________

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Smoke/ Heat Detectors

____________________________________________

Portable radios/ cellular phones

____________________________________________

Flashlight(s)

____________________________________________

Camera with film

____________________________________________

Battery operated radio

____________________________________________

Tool kit (crowbar, hammer, etc)

____________________________________________

Cleaning supplies

____________________________________________

Protective equipment

____________________________________________

Emergency Supplies (in house)

First aid kit

____________________________________________

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Daily Upkeep Checklist

Yes No, reason

Keys are secure and accounted for ____ ______________

Vaults and safes are secure ____ _______________

Doors are shut and locked if

necessary ____ _______________

Evidence of tampering with locks

or major utilities or supplies ____ _______________

Unauthorized person in building ____ _______________

Communication equipment is

in good working order ____ ______________

Lights, including emergency lights,

are in good working order ____ _______________

Alarms are in good working order ____ _______________

Off-hours activity ____ _______________

Unusual smells or sounds ____ _______________

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Weekly Upkeep List

Yes No, reason

Emergency numbers are checked

for accuracy and posted ____ ______________

Fire extinguishers are updated

and operable ____ _______________

Smoke and/or heat detectors are

in good operating condition ____ _______________

Fire alarms are operable ____ _______________

External and internal detection

devices or alarms are in good

working order ____ _______________

Back up systems tested

Lights ____ _______________

Alarms ____ _______________

Flashlights tested and operable ____ _______________

Portable radios tested and operable ____ ______________

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Other Emergency Issues

Date of last Fire Drill: ___________________

Next schedule date:_______________

Frequency:______________________

Required? Y / N

Date of last Fire Department

inspection:_______________________

Frequency:______________ Required? Y / N

Next date:____________

Date of last Escaped Animal

Drill:________________________

Frequency:___________ Required? Y / N

Next date:____________

Date of last off-site records

update:______________________

Frequency:___________ Required? Y / N

Next date:____________

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Salvage Priorities

Live Collection:

Non-releasable animals

All other animals

Animal Hospital:

Rare and endangered

Predators

Baby animals

All other animals (in no particular

order)

Non-Live Collection:

Rare and endangered specimens/ objects

Only example in collection specimens/

Objects

All other objects/ specimens

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Example

Emergency Instruction Sheets

for

Animal Emergency

and

Staff Emergency Procedures

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Medical Emergencies: Staff If a staff member, docent, or a volunteer is ill or injured:

1. Notify security at the museum or the front desk

IMMEDIATELY.

2. Security or front desk staff will send a trained member of

staff with a first aid kit. Trained personnel will render the

minimum first aid necessary, and decide what additional

treatment is required (call Fire Department, paramedics,

ambulance, etc.)

3. Unless it is a life-threatening situation, do not attempt to

render first aid yourself before trained member of staff

arrives.

4. Do not attempt to move a person who has fallen and who

appears to be in pain.

5. Avoid unnecessary conversation with, or about, the ill or

injured person. You might add to the person’s distress or

fears, increasing the risk of medical shock. Limit

communication to quiet reassurances.

6. After the person has been taken care of and the incident is

over, remain available to help the investigating staff member

with pertinent information for a medical report or, if

applicable, a Worker’s Compensation report.

7. Contact security or the front desk for any questions.

Medical Emergencies: Staff

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Medical Emergencies: Visitor When an employee, visitor or volunteer observes a visitor who

appears to be ill or injured:

1. Notify security at the museum or the front desk IMMEDIATELY.

2. Security or the front desk staff will send a trained member of staff

with a first aid kit. Trained personnel will render the minimum

first aid necessary, and decide what additional treatment is

required (call Fire Department, paramedics, ambulance, etc)

3. Unless it is a life-threatening situation, do not attempt to render

first aid yourself before trained member of staff arrives.

4. Do not attempt to move a visitor who has fallen and who appears

to be in pain.

5. Avoid unnecessary conversation with or about the ill or injured

visitor or members of her/his party. You might add to the

person’s distress or fears, increasing the risk of medical shock.

Limit your communication to quiet reassurances.

6. Do not discuss the possible cause of an accident or any conditions

that may have contributed to the cause.

7. Under no circumstances should an employee or volunteer discuss

any insurance information with members of the public.

8. After the person has been taken care of and the incident is over

remain available to help the investigating Staff Supervisor.

Medical Emergencies: Visitor

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EXPLOSION 1. Remain calm.

2. Be prepared for possible further explosions.

3. Crawl under a desk or table.

4. Stay away from windows, mirrors, overhead fixtures, filing

cabinets, bookcases and electrical equipment.

5. Be guided by security of the museum or the front desk staff.

If evacuation is ordered, go to a designated area (see map,

last page of this booklet).

6. Do not move seriously injured persons unless they are in

obvious, immediate danger (of fire, building collapse, etc.)

7. Open doors carefully. Watch for falling objects.

8. Do not use elevators.

9. Do not use matches or lighters.

10. Avoid using the telephone.

11. Do not spread rumors.

Explosion

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FLOODING AND WATER DAMAGE

Serious water damage can occur from many sources: burst pipes,

clogged drains, broken skylights or windows, or construction

oversights.

If a water leak occurs:

1. Remain calm.

2. Notify security at the museum or front desk staff

IMMEDIATELY. Tell staff member exact location and

severity of leak. Indicate whether any part of the collection,

living or not, is involved or is in imminent danger. Security

or front desk staff will notify appropriate people.

3. Notify a supervisor of the extent and location of the leak, if

possible.

4. If there are electrical appliances or outlets near the leak, use

extreme caution. It there is any possible danger, evacuate

the area.

5. If you know the source of the water and are confident in

your ability to stop it (unclog the drain, turn off the water,

etc), do so cautiously.

6. Be prepared to help as directed in protecting or assisting

with collection items that are in jeopardy. Take only those

steps needed to avoid or reduce immediate damage.

Flooding and Water Damage

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CHEMICAL SPILL AND FIRE If a chemical spill occurs:

1. If toxic chemicals come in contact with your skin, immediately

flush the affected area with clear water. Use a chemical shower if

available.

2. Notify security at the museum or the front desk IMMEDIATELY

3. Notify your supervisor of the extent and location of the spill

4. If there is any possible danger, evacuate your area.

If a chemical fire occurs:

1. Remain calm.

2. Notify security at the museum or the front desk IMMEDIATELY

3. Do not call the Fire Department yourself.

4. If the fire is small, attempt to put it out with a fire extinguisher.

Do not jeopardize your personal safety.

5. Never allow a fire to come between you and an exit.

6. Notify your supervisor of the location and extent of the fire.

7. Evacuate your area if you are unable to put out the fire. Close

doors and windows behind you to contain the fire. Go to a

designated area (see map, last page booklet).

8. Do not break windows. Oxygen feeds a fire.

9. Do not attempt to save possessions at the risk of personal injury.

10. Do not return to the emergency area until instructed to do so by

the Director of Operations.

All chemical spills and fire, no matter how small, must be reported to

security at the museum, the front desk and to the Director of Operations.

Chemical Spill and Fire

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PHONE THREAT, MAIL THREAT AND SUSPICIOUS OBJECT It is possible, although unlikely, that any staff member might receive a threatening telephone

call or receive a threatening letter or suspicious parcel in the mail or discovers a suspicious

object somewhere on the premises.

If you receive a telephone threat:

1. Remain calm.

2. Listen carefully. Be polite and show interest. Try to keep the caller talking, so that

you can gather as much information as possible.

3. Notify security at the museum or the front desk IMMEDIATELY. If possible signal a

colleague to phone for you; or call as soon as the caller hangs up.

4. Do not call the police yourself. The Director of Operations will notify appropriate

law enforcement and public safety agencies.

5. Promptly complete a telephone threat report or an incident report, writing down as

many details as you can remember. This information will be needed by police

interviewers and museum staff.

6. Do not discuss the threat with other staff.

7. Be guided by the Director of Operations. If an evacuation is ordered, go to a

designated area (see map, last page of this booklet).

If you receive a written threat or a suspicious parcel or if you find a suspicious object anywhere

on the premises:

1. Keep anyone from handling it or going near it.

2. Notify security at the museum or the front desk IMMEDIATELY.

3. Do not call the police yourself. The Director of Operations will notify the

appropriate law enforcement and public safety agencies.

4. Promptly write down everything you can remember about receiving the letter or

parcel or about how the object was found. This information will be needed by the

police interviewers and the Director of Operations.

5. Remain calm. Do not discuss the threat with other staff members.

6. Be guided by the Director of Operations. If an evacuation is ordered, go to a

designated area (see map, last page of this booklet).

Phone Threat, Mail Threat and Suspicious Object

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POWER OUTAGE If a power outage occurs:

1. Remain calm.

2. Provide assistance to visitors and staff in your immediate

area.

3. Notify security for the museum or the front desk

IMMEDIATELY.

4. Specified personnel are to move through all public areas

with flashlights, escorting visitors to safety.

5. If you are in an unlighted area, proceed cautiously to an area

with flashlights or emergency lights.

6. If you are in an elevator, stay calm. Use the intercom or the

emergency button to notify Museum staff.

7. Stand by for instructions from the Operations Director. If

instructed to evacuate, go to the designated area, see map

last page.

Power Outage

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EARTHQUAKE Even in a severe earthquake, there is much you can do to prevent or minimize

injuries, or damage to collection and Museum property.

DURING AN EARTHQUAKE

If you are inside:

1. Stay inside

2. Watch for falling objects

3. Crawl under a table or desk, or stand in a doorway

4. Stay away from windows, mirrors, overhead fixtures, filing cabinets,

bookcases and electrical equipment

If you are outside:

1. Move to an open area away from buildings, trees, and power lines

2. If forced to stand near a building, watch for falling objects

If you are in an automobile:

1. Stop your vehicle in the nearest open area. Avoid bridges and overhead

wires

2. Stay in the vehicle until the shaking stops

AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE

1. Remain calm

2. Be prepared for aftershocks

3. Be guided by the Operations Director and the front desk staff. If an

evacuation is ordered, go to a designated area, see map, last page

4. Do not move seriously injured persons unless they are in obvious,

immediate danger (of fire, building collapse, animal attack, etc.)

5. Open all doors carefully. Watch for falling objects

6. Do not use elevators

7. Do not use matches or lighters

8. Avoid using telephones

9. Do not spread rumors

Earthquake

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FIRE If a fire occurs in your area:

1. Remain calm

2. Notify security at the museum or the front desk IMMEDIATELY

3. Do not call the Fire Department yourself

4. If the fire is small, attempt to put if out with a fire extinguisher

5. Never allow a fire to come between you and the exit

6. Disconnect electrical equipment that is on fire if it is safe to do so.

(Pull the plug or throw the circuit breaker.)

7. Notify security at the museum, the Operations Director and the

front desk as to the location and the extent of the fire

8. Evacuate your area if you are unable to put out the fire. Close

doors behind you to confine the fire. Go to a designated area (see

map at the back).

9. Do not break windows. Oxygen feeds fire.

10. Do not open hot doors. Before opening any door, touch it near the

top. If the door is hot or if smoke is visible do not open the door.

11. Do not use elevators.

12. Do not attempt to save possessions at the risk of personal injury

13. Do not return to the emergency area until instructed to do so by

the Operations Director

All fires, no matter how small, must be reported to security at the

museum and the Operations Director.

Fire

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EMPLOYEE EVACUATION PROCEDURE

In advance, each staff person, docent and volunteer should:

1. Understand this evacuation plan

2. Recognize the sound of the evacuation alarm

3. Know at least two ways out of the building from your regular

workspace

When you hear the evacuation alarm or are told to evacuate the building:

1. Remain calm

2. Immediately shut down all hazardous operations

3. Leave quickly

4. The highest ranking person who is physically present in each

department is responsible for insuring that all members of her/his

department evacuate the area. In addition, every employee

should check that all others in that workspace are leaving as

instructed.

5. As you exit quickly check nearby restrooms, closets, kitchen, etc

6. Accompany and help handicapped persons who appears to need

calm direction or assistance

7. Take with you: car keys, identification, etc. Do not attempt to take

large or heavy objects

8. Shut all doors behind you as you go, closed doors can slow the

spread of fire, smoke and water

9. Proceed as quickly as possible but in an orderly manner

10. Move away from the building once outside of it

11. Go to the staff assembly area, see map last page

12. All staff, volunteers and docents must be accounted for promptly.

When instructed to leave the property:

1. If you have a rideshare contact partners immediately.

2. Drive carefully, extra caution is needed when you are distracted

by an emergency situation

3. Expect traffic back-ups. Be patient and prepared to wait your turn

4. Follow directions from the Operations Director. If normal exists

are blocked you will be directed to an alternate route.

Employee Evacuation Procedure

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Related Links Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disasters

This is the site of a non-profit organization dedicated to preparing for emergencies. They focus on the fun aspect of emergency preparedness and offer information, training and seminars.

FEMA

A link to the Federal government’s emergency management agency. Offers additional links to emergency training information and other resources.

American Veterinary Association

National website for veterinarians that has information related to emergency planning and preparedness. Other information includes current news, potential animal reactions to disaster and other resources.

American Association of Museums

The National museum website has links to other pages, current news and information. Also lists regulations for museums and accreditation.

American Zoological and Aquarium Association

Website of the AZA with resources, information and links to other useful websites.

A list of links to other websites and outside resources that have valuable information associated with emergency planning, animal emergency preparedness and loss mitigation during recovery.

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Appendix A: Interview Questions 1. Does your institution have an emergency plan or set of procedures in

place? 2. What types of emergencies does your plan address? 3. Can you give me a short summary of your current plan or procedures? 4. Regarding your collection, is there a priority hierarchy for evacuation

or checking on animals during an emergency? 5. If there is a hierarchy, do you know how it was decided upon? 6. Are the procedures for your plan “user friendly”, clear and concise? 7. How does your emergency plan address the need or safety of the

animals of the collection? 8. Do you feel that you have formed a close bond with the animals you

care for and that other members of your staff have as well? 9. Are you concerned that staff may act in a manner different from

procedure during an actual emergency situation? 10. What kind of safeguards do you have in place for human reaction

contrary to procedure? 11. Do you personally disagree with any of the regulations, procedure of

the emergency plan of your institution, and why?

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12. What do you think is a better solution? 13. Do you feel that the animals in your collection and your institution

have a sufficient level of legal and ethical protections from the local, state and federal governments?

14. Should the federal government withhold emergency funding to

organizations without planning? 15. Should the government provide funds or other assistance to non-profit

organizations for emergency planning? For the purpose of this interview let us define “higher sentient intelligence” as the ability to use tools, perform complex behaviors, establish communication, form family ties and bonds and understand suffering. 16. Do you believe in the higher sentient intelligence of animals? If so,

any specific animals and should these animals receive differing treatment?

17. Would you risk your own personal safety to save or protect an animal

in your care? Why or why not? 18. In the wake of Hurricane’s Andrew, Rita and Katrina as well as the

Oakland Hills firestorm do you think emergency evacuation for animals along with people is a good idea? Why or why not?

19. Given a wildfire emergency situation and the time, 2 – 3 days, to plan

would you choose to evacuate the animals in your institution’s collection, or would they be safer in their present location? Explain if necessary the reasoning behind decision.