Wildfires impact wildlife and pets, too. Here’s how you can help them.
In just four days, blazing wildfires across Los Angeles neighborhoods have put 150,000 residents under evacuation orders, burned over 30,000 acres, destroyed more than 10,000 structures, and, as of Thursday, killed killed 10 people. Experts say it may be the costliest wildfire in US history. The fires are still ongoing, and the toll of destruction is still far from a final tally.
But it’s not just human lives and homes that have been taken and are still at risk. A reporter and a photographer helped a Pasadena woman rescue her chickens from her burning home. Another journalist interviewed two residents evacuating with their horses while surrounded by flames. On social media, people have posted videos of animals like dogs and deer wandering alone amid the fires, confused and distressed.
These images and videos are just small glimpses of how the wildfires have affected the animals and wildlife who call Los Angeles their home. There aren’t exact numbers yet on the amount of animals displaced, injured, or killed, but the nonprofit Pasadena Humane has taken in more than 300 animals, from dogs and cats left behind to peacocks and baby raccoons escaping fiery areas, according to an Instagram post.
Meanwhile, as Vox reporter Umair Irfan reported earlier this week, the dangers from fires in Southern California are likely about to get worse. While winds have slowed down a bit, meteorologists expect wind speeds to pick up again on Sunday and into next week, which could threaten what progress has been made to contain the fires. Climate change is exacerbating wildfire risk everywhere, and in Los Angeles, which has seen rapid swings between extremely wet and dry weather in recent years, this “weather whiplash” can increase the threat of extreme blazes.
Anywhere humans are experiencing distress from calamities, animals (both domestic and wild) are too. As these dangers grow, so will the silent suffering of animals — who have contributed nothing to the climate crisis but suffer disproportionately from it.
Here’s how wildfires affect pets and wildlife alike, and how you can help.
What we know about wildfires and animals
Wildfires are a natural part of California’s ecosystem, and serve key roles in maintaining the health of the surrounding environment, like by clearing decaying brush and getting nutrients back into the soil. Vegetation like chaparral, brush, and shrub are common in these ecosystems, and are highly flammable, so frequent, controlled fires can help clear these plants.
But when fires get out of hand, as they are in the Los Angeles area, they can endanger lives, homes, and displace thousands of people and animals. For families rushing to evacuate safely, their pets may get lost or left behind in the mayhem. Those who have larger animals, like goats and horses, may not have the ability to relocate their animals to safety on short notice.
Pet displacement is an unfortunate consequence of natural disasters and emergencies. One survey by the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals found that nearly half of pet owners have left behind an animal while evacuating an emergency. Even if someone is able to bring along their pets, if they have lost everything in a fire, they may have to surrender their pets to animal shelters because they no longer have the means to care for them. Right now, local Los Angeles shelters are receiving an influx of animals in their facilities.
Even for pets who aren’t directly in the fire’s path, lingering smoke can harm animals just as it harms humans. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, wildfire smoke can cause animals to cough, gag, and have difficulty breathing.
As for wildlife, we’re still learning a lot about how individual species and larger ecosystems respond to fires, especially how these animals actively respond and are harmed by blazes. Morgan Tingley, an ecology and evolutionary biology professor at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), told Vox that there aren’t exact numbers on the amount of wildlife that are killed by wildfires, but that in some cases, it’s probably a lot.
“The scientific study of what animals do during fire is stunningly behind,” Tingley said. He added that we know more about the responses and deaths of larger animals, like bobcats and coyotes, than of smaller creatures like songbirds or mice. Some of this research relies on surveys and citizen scientists to report carcasses or animal sightings; Tingley himself is part of an ongoing citizen science study called Project Phoenix that records how wildfire smoke affects birds. Just this week, Tingley says he noticed bird species like yellow-rumped warblers flying away from the fire. One review of the effects of wildfire smoke on wildlife found that smoke inhalation contributed to adverse consequences like neurological impairment and carbon monoxide poisoning.
A study by UCLA and the National Parks Service found that the 2018 Woolsey Fire in the Santa Monica Mountains prompted mountain lions to take greater and often deadly risks to try to survive. The wildfire burned nearly 100,000 acres, including half of the mountain lion population’s available habitat. Loss of vegetation removed hiding spots for mountain lions to hunt, and researchers found that these animals nearly completely avoided their former habitat after it had been burnt. Seeking out a new home, one mountain lion crossed a busy freeway, and was later struck and killed. Another mountain lion crossed a freeway safely, but later died of starvation.
Part of our lack of knowledge is because humans have actively repressed fires for a century — a strategy that can be traced back to the early 20th century when a mega wildfire burned 3 million acres across Montana and Idaho. “We have very little reference for what these animals are going through and how to deal with these kinds of landscape changes,” Gavin Jones, a research ecologist at the US Forest Service, told Vox in 2023. “In this new era of rapidly changing fire regimes, we don’t have a great roadmap for how to conserve wildlife.”
Animals and their environments can be resilient. “These ecosystems, in general, have co-evolved with fire for millions of years,” Tingley said. “The native plants are adapted to relatively frequent fire scenarios, and the animals are too.” But he also acknowledged that megafires like this one are different, and are causing less healthy regeneration — a crucial part of any kind of recovery.
Adaptation takes a long time, and it’s not a guaranteed (or timely) solution. The good news is that there are ways humans can help now.
How to give and get help to animals in Los Angeles
Multiple local organizations are quickly working to rescue animals from imminent danger and treat their injuries. Here’s how you can help these groups.
If you’re in the Los Angeles area, and if it’s safe to do so, consider helping these shelters by fostering. Pasadena Humane has received enough physical donations (like food) and are now asking for monetary donations to get the animals in their care the resources they need. The Little Lion Foundation, a Long Beach-based nonprofit focused on caring for cats, is open to providing space, supplies, and medical care for injured cats.
The Los Angeles Animal Services is directing people with small animals under evacuation orders to the Westwood Recreation Center and the Ritchie Valens Recreation Center if they need a place to stay. For people with large animals like horses, they recommend the Los Angeles Equestrian Center and the Hansen Dam Recreation Area.
Tingley also gave some advice for people who may come across wildlife. Report injured animals that you see to wildlife rehabilitation centers and on apps like Animal Help Now, keep water available for displaced wildlife passing by, and keep pets indoors so that they don’t interact with predators like bobcats and mountain lions.
Supporting conservation groups that work to protect wildlife is also an option. Save LA Cougars, an initiative that’s part of the National Wildlife Federation, has a strong track record: They successfully advocated for a wildlife crossing for LA’s Highway 101. That crossing is slated to open in 2026.
It’s likely we will never know the exact loss of animal life in these wildfires — but the residents, researchers, and volunteers of Los Angeles are doing what they can to preserve the lives of their domesticated companions and wildlife neighbors. “Angelenos love our natural beauty, and I think in many cases, actually love the great abundance of wildlife that are at our doorsteps,” Tingley said.