16/05/2026
Scientists are warning that El Niño conditions may begin building between July–September 2026, with possible peak effects toward late 2026 and early 2027.
People talk about this in terms of:
temperatures
rainfall
electricity bills
crop yields
“how bad summer will get”
But all day I’ve been thinking about the animals.
The street dogs sleeping under cars on burning roads. Birds panting with open beaks looking for water. Crows, kites, squirrels, strays… all trying to survive heat and humidity they did not evolve for.
Humans at least have some buffers. Fans. AC. Refrigerators. Bottled water. The ability to leave.
Animals don’t.
And the frightening part is that climate stress on wildlife often won’t look dramatic. It will look quiet:
fewer birds returning
weaker strays
silent dehydration
exhausted animals resting in shade all day
fewer chicks surviving summer
A slow exhaustion of life around us.
If this El Niño intensifies into late 2026, one of the simplest and most meaningful things we can do is leave water out.
That’s it.
Bowls of water for birds and strays. Shade where possible. Kindness where possible.
Sometimes survival comes down to something heartbreakingly small.
