Climate change is causing more frequent and intense disasters—wildfires, floods, hurricanes, and extreme heat waves. These events not only devastate ecosystems but also displace and endanger countless animals. In every crisis, animal defenders—rescuers, shelter workers, veterinarians—step up to save lives, often in highly stressful and emotionally overwhelming conditions. However, while they dedicate themselves to protecting animals, their own mental health is neglected. The combination of extreme stress, trauma exposure, and lack of psychological support leads to burnout, compassion fatigue, and emotional exhaustion, threatening their ability to continue their lifesaving work.

To address this, we will develop a short digital course on Psychological First Aid (PFA) specifically for volunteers animal rescuers responding to climate-related crises. This course will provide practical, easy-to-apply mental health tools to help them manage stress, process trauma, and build emotional resilience during emergencies.

By providing immediate, science-backed psychological tools, this initiative will not only support individual rescuers but also help build stronger, healthier climate response networks. This pilot project will serve as the foundation for expanding mental health training programs for animal defenders.