MD11 FLT CREW CARRYING LIVE ANIMALS IS DISPATCHED WITHOUT APU; IN HASTE TO GET AIR FLOWING THE CREW STARTS NUMBER 2 ENGINE AND SUBSEQUENTLY DISCOVERS A SMALL ACFT TAXING BEHIND THEM IS DAMAGED. KNOWN CAUSE OF THE DAMAGE IS UNAVAILABLE; AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT THERE WERE GUSTY WINDS AND OTHER LARGE ACFT IN VICINITY.

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LIVE ANIMAL CARGO FLT SCHEDULED. ACFT (MD11) MEL'ED OTS. RAMP PERSONNEL INFORMED CAPT AND MYSELF THAT AN EXTERNAL AIR CONDITIONING CART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. ANIMAL HANDLERS INFORM CAPT THAT ANIMALS WILL DIE WITHOUT COOLING. ATIS RPTED TEMP 30 DEGS C; WINDS 070 DEGS AT 14 KTS GUSTING TO 20 KTS. RAMP PERSONNEL INFORMED CAPT AND MYSELF THAT AN AIR START CART WAS AVAILABLE; BUT ONLY FOR 10 MINS OR LESS. AIR START CART WAS HOOKED UP AND USED TO PWR ACFT PACKS. AIR START CART PROVIDED INSUFFICIENT FLOW TO COOL ANIMALS. 10 MINS PRIOR TO PUSHBACK; WE INFORMED ZZZ '10 MINS' IN ACCORDANCE WITH ZZZ PUBLISHED PROC. CAPT INFORMS RAMP PERSONNEL THAT WE WILL NEED TO START ENG #2 IN ORDER TO COOL ANIMALS PRIOR TO PUSHBACK; AND REQUESTS THEM TO CLR THE REAR OF THE ACFT. RAMP PERSONNEL INFORM CAPT THAT HE IS CLR TO START ENG #2. PUBLISHED ZZZ PROC DOES NOT REQUIRE GND CLRNC TO START AN ENG. CAPT DIRECTS ME TO START ENG #2. AFTER ENG #2 IS SUCCESSFULLY STARTED; THE AIR START CART HOSE RUPTURES. IDLE PWR PROVIDES INSUFFICIENT FLOW TO COOL ANIMALS. CAPT DIRECTS RAMP PERSONNEL TO PLACE WING GUARDS AT REAR OF ACFT IN ORDER TO PREVENT TRAVEL BEHIND OUR ACFT. HE THEN ADVANCED ENG #2 RPM. I INFORM HIM THAT ENG #2 RPM IS GETTING TOO HIGH. CAPT ACKNOWLEDGES AND RETARDS THROTTLE TO AN RPM LEVEL THAT IS JUST ABOVE IDLE. CAPT INFORMS RAMP PERSONNEL THAT WE ARE READY FOR PUSHBACK. RAMP PERSONNEL INFORMS US THAT THERE IS A STATIONARY ACFT AT OUR 6 O'CLOCK POS; AND THAT THE PLTS ARE 'OUTSIDE THE ACFT JUST STANDING THERE.' EVENTUALLY WE ARE INFORMED THAT A C172 ATTEMPTED TO TAXI BEHIND OUR ACFT AND APPARENTLY EXPERIENCED A DISRUPTION IN ITS TAXI PATH. ARPT PERSONNEL; INCLUDING FAA; ARPT POLICE; AND OTHER OFFICIALS INSPECT THE C172; AND SURMISE MINOR DAMAGE TO PROP AND R WINGTIP. C172 IS TOWED OFF TXWY AND WE ARE CLRED TO LAUNCH. IT IS NOT ENTIRELY CLR WHAT EXACTLY CAUSED THE C172 TO EXPERIENCE AN UPSET TAXI. THE GUSTY WINDS PRESENT ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF OUR ACFT IN CONJUNCTION WITH RESIDUAL THRUST FROM OUR #2 ENG IS THE MOST LIKELY HYPOTHESIS. IN RETROSPECT; THIS SITUATION MAY NOT HAVE ARISEN IF 1 OF 2 OBVIOUS LINKS IN THE CHAIN WERE REMOVED: 1) THE ACFT DISPATCHED TO CARRY LIVE ANIMALS HAD NOT HAD AN INOPERABLE APU. 2) WE; AS OPERATING CREW; HAD MADE AN INFORMATIVE CALL TO GND CTL THAT WE WOULD BE STARTING AN ENG IN THE BLOCKS. THIS IS ASSUMING THAT THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE C172 AND ASSIGNED AN ALTERNATE TAXI RTE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 798290: INSPECTORS CAME UP TO THE COCKPIT AND INFORMED US THAT WHILE THE LIGHT ACFT WAS TAXIING IT ENCOUNTERED SOME TURB WHICH CAUSED IT TO ROCK THE WINGS AND A WINGTIP TOUCH THE GND CAUSING SOME MINOR DAMAGE. HE FURTHER EXPLAINED THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND THAT THEY WERE COMPLETING THEIR INVESTIGATION AND WOULD BE TOWING IT CLR OF THE AREA. I ASKED IF HE WANTED THE #2 ENG SHUT DOWN AND HE SAID NO; IT WAS NOT NECESSARY.