The North Carolina Animal Emergency Response Working Group is a collaborative effort of many state and local partners who are dedicated to enhancing the preparedness and response capabilities for any incident involving animals, including but not limited to livestock, throughout the state with coordination from many sectors.

The working group was established to assist with awareness of animal-related incidents; resource identification; communication/notifications of incidents at the local, regional and state level; and to train response personnel and any interested parties starting at the county level.

Priorities of this mission are responder and public safety; humane and timely assistance of animals in an emergency; establishing animal sheltering capabilities; ensuring appropriate trainings are available; and conducting public outreach.

The areas of focus are in solidifying notification processes; scene arrival and assessment; containment and security of the scene; triage, extraction, and relocation of animals; mortality management; humane depopulation, if deemed necessary; and debriefing.

---

For more information concerning the AERWG, contact Michelle Bouchey, DVM, Northeast Region Emergency Programs Veterinarian with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services @ [email protected]