Ä¢¹½´«Ã½

In the past, risk reduction, preparedness and contingency planning have rarely included animals. To rectify this, the programmes encompasses disaster risk reduction activities to reduce loss of livelihoods and productive assets including livestock and working animals. The government recognised that alongside wider issues of protecting livestock, that there are many other vulnerable animals, most notably pets. An estimated 500 000 companion animals provide invaluable psychological comfort and support to families across Costa Rica.

In previous emergencies (outside Costa Rica), rescuers reported numerous instances where people refused to evacuate without their animals, which severely impacted on the health and safety of the population. In other instances people evacuate to emergency shelters where there are no provisions for animals. When risk information is not available or mechanisms are not in place, both people and animals are more at risk.

Pets provide comfort and physiological support to their owners, and are often seen as 'part of the family'. We have seen that people may refuse to evacuate without their pets, putting themselves and others at greater risk. Research conducted by World Animal Protection in Costa Rica, Mexico and Colombia determined that 75% of urban pet owners would not leave their pets behind during an evacuation, even if they only had five minutes, which reflects the importance of considering pets during an emergency (Hesterberg, Huertas and Appleby 2012). As a result, the campaign targeted urban pet owners. A separate campaign targeting rural animal owners was launched separately in 2014.

Costa Rica is a multi-hazard country, which experiences earthquakes on a regular basis, and is prone to both flooding and droughts in many areas. Urban areas are especially vulnerable to disasters, in particular earthquakes and flooding, due to a variety of factors. Robust and comprehensive efforts in risk reduction are required to mitigate these vulnerabilities. The programme recognized that an increasing number of people in urban areas have animals. It accepted that ensuring local capacity to manage in emergencies, required changing individual's behaviours and supporting them to take responsibility for themselves and their animals.

To ensure that the campaign would reach the target audience, the design was based on the results of a countrywide investigation (Cid Gallup, 2013) that aimed to determine the level of preparedness of urban pet owners. This baseline study evaluated the four key criteria that would distinguish a fully prepared pet owner:

• ID Tag with the owner´s contact information

• Kennel and leash

• Emergency kit in a secure container

• Friend or family member that could take care of the pet in case of evacuation

Research determined that less than 3% of all pet owners fulfilled even two of the four criteria and only 5% of the pets had ID Tags. The communication initiative therefore was designed to convey simple measures that pet owners could undertake to be better prepared and reduce their risks.

It was part of a wider programme World Animal Protection was implementing with the Costa Rican Ministry of Agriculture and local Animal Health Services to strengthen national and local capacity in emergency management.

Ultimately, it aimed to encourage uptake of the four actions of a fully prepared pet owner, listed above.

Media:

• TV advert - A television advert featuring a talking dachshund, Thunder, was broadcasted over a three-month period, over three years. The advert aired on selected TV channels at both prime time and other times, based on ratings and the target audience, to ensure maximum exposure.
• Social media - Key messages were promoted on social media including Facebook and Instagram. On Facebook short messages, such as "" with illustrative pictures drew the attention of the audience to the World Animal Protection website.
• Website - The website featured more for animal owners to download; including what to do in specific emergencies such as hurricanes, earthquakes or floods, and what to include in an emergency kit. P
• SMS messages - People could subscribe to a number and receive weekly tips via SMS.

The TV advert reached 45% of our target audience and each person viewed the advertisement an average of three times. In total the advert was broadcasted over 6,000 times during the three-year campaign, with approximately 700 adverts per month.

Social media (14 Facebook posts) reached over 4 million people in Mexico and Costa Rica, and achieved over 65,000 'likes' and 6,000 shares.

The assessment showed that the number of people implementing at least one of the measures nearly doubled. Specific criteria also improved, for example the percentage of people with an emergency plan increased from 2% to 21% and those with and ID tag increased from 5% to 20%. (CID/Gallup, 2015).

Watch

and

Listen