Animal owners across the State will share in the benefits from $184,000 in grants to boost the capacity of local governments to prepare and respond to animal welfare issues during an emergency.
A total of 25 local governments will receive an Animal Welfare in Emergencies Grant of up to $10,000 for individual local governments or $25,000 for a collaborative grant, with seven from the metropolitan area and 18 from the regions.
The initiative, a collaboration between the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA), will help to protect companion animals and livestock, as well as their owners during emergencies.
The grants will assist local governments to improve animal welfare measures during responses, backed by community engagement and appropriate facilities to keep animals and their owners safe and secure in the event of a fire, flood or other emergency.
More than half the grants are to procure equipment used to house and look after animals in the event of an evacuation, particularly equipped trailers, while others will use the funds towards improving response capabilities and raising awareness about available support.
A full list of recipients is available on the WALGA website.
As stated by Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan:
"These grants will assist residents to evacuate more quickly and with confidence that they will get the necessary support for their animals.
"Each of the grants are unique to the needs of each local government but many include items like animal cages, bedding, food and water containers, as well as tarpaulins, registration tags and personal protective equipment.
"The proposals were complemented by a community awareness campaign to make residents aware of these new facilities, reducing concerns and confusion in the event of an evacuation.
"A quarter of the recipients will use their grants to review and develop new Animal Welfare in Emergencies plans, while another recipient will use its grant to run an evacuation exercise to test its Emergency Animal Welfare in Emergencies Plan and identify any potential shortfalls."
