Filling the Ark: Animal Welfare in Disasters »

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

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

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

Diana Hartle - Library Journal

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

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