Barn Fires Ignite Calls For Change

The preventable deaths of thousands of animals in barn blazes has fired up renewed calls to beef up rules and safety protocols to thwart future scenarios.

In January alone, about 53,000 animals including goats, horses, pigs and ducks, were killed in Canadian barn fires.

Adding to the tragedy is the reality many barn fires could be avoided if some simple steps were taken to prevent them and plans made on how to rescue animals should one break out, say animal advocates. “Incredibly, there are no specific regulations in place to protect animals from burning to death in preventable barn fires,” says Anna Pippus, Director of Farmed Animal Advocacy at Animal Justice Canada. “In the face of government and industry inaction, animal advocates have been calling for reform.”

In homes, schools and workplaces, history has proven everything from building design to protocols like fire drills and on-site resources including alarms and extinguishers, have prevented fires and saved lives when they do occur. But because barn blazes are often seen as having only economic impact on livestock owners, more needs to be done to protect animals from dying in avoidable barn fires, advocates say.

To that end, more than 33,000 signatures have been collected in a Canadians for the Ethical Treatment of Farmed Animals petition calling on industry to create a barn fire code of practice and requirements including fire alarms, sprinklers and protocols for freeing animals from burning barns.

The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies (CFHS) has issued recommendations for farmers, including regular fire safety inspections and ensuring flammable materials are stored away from where animals live while the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs released a report advising farmers on the leading causes of barn fires and steps to reduce risk.

Given the speed at which tragedy can unfold, the CFHS suggests preparation is key in dodging disaster, “yet many of the simplest protection and prevention techniques recommended by farm and fire experts across the country and the world are not currently standard farm practice.” That means thousands of livestock animals are killed in barn fires annually and millions in lost revenue dollars to farmers who often declare bankruptcy while waiting on insurance payouts.

One unique challenge is the rescue of animals trapped in burning barns - making preparing for the possibility crucial, according to the CFHS. “Pigs and poultry are often housed too densely to make evacuation possible in any practical fashion, especially in Canadian winters where animals can die in just minutes of outdoor exposure,” the organization states on its website.

“Evacuating horses involves other considerations ... even when owners or handlers are on the scene in time to make a difference, there are numerous horror stories of horses breaking free from handlers and running back into burning barns. Have a halter and lead at each stall (do not keep horses haltered,) practising fire drills and knowing the location of the fire exits can better prepare horse owners to react, should fire strike.”

Advocates are calling on governments to update building and fire codes, requiring barns to be outfitted with industrial-grade smoke and heat detectors as well as sprinkler systems.

“There's no excuse for not taking common sense preventive measures to reduce the risk that hundreds or thousands of animals will experience the pain and terror of burning to death with no means of escape,” Pippus says. “We shouldn't be satisfied with waiting for the industry to voluntarily take action.”

By Nadia Moharib

Nadia Moharib is an animal lover who has adopted everything from birds to hamsters, salamanders, rabbits, fish and felines. She has written about all-things-pets for years and was a long-time editor of a pet magazine in a daily newspaper which featured a Q & A column, Ask Whit, penned by her pooch (ghost written, of course.) The serial dog owner lives in Calgary, Alberta and most days can be found at a dog park picking up after her rescue pooch, Scoots.

Rabies Contracted From Domestic Dogs Continues to Kill People

Rabies is a fatal viral disease that kills people; especially in low-income countries. Typically rabies is transmitted to humans from bites by infected domestic dogs. Rabies infection is preventable in humans with timely post-exposure prophylaxis vaccinations. Another control measure is mass vaccination of domestic dogs. Unfortunately, in low-income areas, people and animals often have limited access to health care. Due to the inability to receive medical care victims often die at home which causes rabies infections to be under-reported.

Recently several researchers performed a study (Estimating the Global Burden of Endemic Canine Rabies) to estimate the public health and economic burden of rabies circulating in domestic dog populations. The researchers found that canine rabies kills approximately 59,000 people and causes an $8.6 billion USD economic loss each year.

Vaccinating dogs is the most effective way to reduce rabies infection and death in humans. However, in low-income areas the availability and affordability of preventative vaccinations remains a limiting factor. As a result, people in low-income areas are most at risk of contracting and dying from a rabies infection. The authors of the study recommended that collaborative investments by medical and veterinary sectors could reduce the unnecessary burden of rabies across the world. Mass dog vaccinations have the potential to eliminate rabies in the primary vector for human infection and reduce the need for expensive post-exposure prophylaxis vaccinations.

Functional relationships estimated between A) rabies incidence in domestic dogs and average biannual dog vaccination coverage and B) probability of receiving post-exposure prophylaxis and the Human Development Index.

Reference: Hampson K, Coudeville L, Lembo T, Sambo M, Kieffer A, Attlan M, et al. (2015) Estimating the Global Burden of Endemic Canine Rabies. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 9(4): e0003709. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0003709

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Each year birds of all types and sizes suffer injuries due to flying into windows. The most common injuries are head trauma, fractures, and bruises. Occasionally birds just need some time to recuperate but often window strikes cause serious injuries and/or death. Even if a bird is temporarily stunned becomes vulnerable to other dangers such as predation. The main reason birds fly into windows is because they cannot see them. The windows reflect their surroundings and do not visually appear as a solid barrier. Placing items inside does not benefit birds due to the item's inability to disrupt external reflections.

There are several ways people can make their windows more visible to birds including:

• Place visual cues on the outside panel of glass.
• Place WindowAlerts on the outside of windows.
• Hang beads or mylar tape outside of a window.

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