Animals Response to Natural Disaster

Animal’s Response to Mother Nature Any type of natural disaster caused by Mother Nature can and will impact an animal’s life in many ways. From hurricanes, droughts and floods to tsunamis, and earthquakes, these incidents can dramatically alter the animal population. Wildlife animals have an instinctive quality to be able to identify and attempt to avoid natural disasters, but it does not always work to their benefit. It is the goal of many organizations throughout the United States, including the Red Cross to protect the wildlife animals and prevent the hurting, disruption and extinction of the animals by natural disasters. Depending upon the natural disaster, different types of animals are affected in different ways. Hurricanes are natural disasters that affect the animal population in many ways including, the alteration of its microenvironment, the change in rainfall patterns, and the growth of the surrounding agriculture (flowers, fruits and vegetables). To begin, to alter the microenvironment of an animal is like completely changing the layout and content in one’s house. The weather prior to the hurricane results in a change in the amount of light, the degree of moisture in the environment, and excessive rainfall. All these factors alter the day-to-day life for an animal. Excessive rainfall on the day of the hurricane causes the drowning of many plants, which results to no food for those animals. The environment’s agriculture is affected due to the fact that hurricane winds destroy flowers and fruits, and remove seeds, resulting in no food for the wildlife. A key component to understanding the affect of natural disasters on the animal population is noticing the change in various animal species in the way they interact as resources they once had begun to disappear. Hurricanes greatly alter wildlife and not only affect the animal population during the hurricane but also long after the hurricane has passed. A drought not only plays a role in the

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