SEPTEMBER 2009 IN THE SHADOW OF EQUUS - WILDFIRE EMERGENCY
Pacific & Prairie Horse Journal September 09 Online Feature
By Margaret Evans
“Juniper” was terrified. As the smoke from three Kelowna, BC wildfires billowed hundreds of feet in the air, no amount of coaxing persuaded the 15 hand Morgan, with a touch of Percheron, to enter the horse trailer. The mare, along with other horses, had been moved to the historic Fintry Estate Park, which had become an emergency holding area from where animals were transported to temporary homes offered by the Kelowna Riding Club and Lindgren Riding Academy.
But Juniper wouldn’t load. Over a couple of days, different emergency transport truck drivers had tried to get her in the trailer. The heat from the fire was unbearable as ash and chunks of burned debris fell all around. Things were becoming critical. But despite ropes and even sedation, nothing worked.
“The SPCA called me about a horse that had been left behind,” recalled Kim Stinson, president of the BC Interior Horse Rescue. “The mare would rear up and just wouldn’t go in. She had had some previous veterinary work and she was stitched up. So she was left at the Manor house.”
Stinson called the owner of the horse and obtained her permission to try to get her. With another driver they returned to the holding area. What Stinson hadn’t counted on was the fact that the driver took his border collie with him.
“Juniper went into the trailer on her own accord,” laughed Stinson. “The collie helped. She wasn’t used to being herded by a dog. My coolest moment was telephoning the owner to let her know that Juniper was loaded.”
Juniper had some superficial injuries, some rope burns, and her stitches had broken open. But she was fine. And she was safe. Later, there were many congratulations for all the volunteers and a special pat on the head for the collie.
With extreme heat and below normal precipitation, this year’s fire season is shaping up to be the worst on record in BC. The ten year average for wildfires in the province is 1,875 with 42.6 percent caused by humans and 57.4 percent caused by lightning. So far this year (as at August 19) there have been 2,441 wildfires burning 138,563 hectares and the cost of fighting fires so far has exceeded $200 million. With lightning triggering nearly 60 per cent of the fires, forests were exploding into flame and trees were candling from bottom to top in seconds. Every creature was in peril.
Stinson knew well that gut feeling of panic as the three fires in the Glenrosa neighbourhood, Rose Valley, and Terrace Mountain flared within days of each other. During the 2003 interface fires in Kelowna, she had evacuated with 30 horses and she understood how thinking patterns go awry. But experience and cooperation paid off. Working with the BC SPCA and the Canadian Disaster Animal Response Team (CDART), 200 horses were rescued during the current crisis and no horse succumbed to the fires. Nearly 1,000 animals were cared for by the BC SPCA.
“We had permission to do a convoy with 14 rigs,” recalled Deborah Silk with CDART. “We worked with the BC Interior Horse Rescue and they were wonderful. We had one RCMP officer to escort the convoy. Everyone knew their assignments. They knew what to do and the horses all behaved. They were taken to the Kelowna Riding Club.”
During the Mount McLean wildfire in Lillooet, BC, Noah’s Wish, an animal rescue organization with headquarters in California, had over 200 animals in their care which included both livestock and companion animals.
“The greatest challenge was the decision to move the animals from Lillooet to Ashcroft to be sheltered,” said coordinator Donna Wackerbauer. “The potential for harm was great. The logistics can be a nightmare.”
But the fire’s intensity and closeness to Lillooet gave Wackerbauer no choice. “Evacuees were dropping animals off as they were leaving town and we were preparing to evacuate them. It took over 12 hours to receive and prepare the animals, pack supplies, load, travel, set up the new shelter, and resituate the 143 animals that were in our care at that time. The village and its residents welcomed us with open arms.
“(In Lillooet), Mile O Riding Club opened the local rodeo grounds for us to house the livestock. We did have a couple of stallions that thankfully were well behaved. (Mile O) also helped with hauling and with the feeding and caring for the horses. Purchasing feed was a bit of a challenge (as) the local feed store was included in the evacuation order and there were no other open stores in the area.”
Wackerbauer was able to buy some local hay for the horses in Lillooet while hay for the horses in the Ashcroft shelter was donated. No horse was injured during the emergency although some developed some minor respiratory issues with coughing. Even chickens appreciated the change of scenery. “We ended up with three different flocks of laying chickens, two pens with roosters, and another pen filled with young layers,” said Wackerbauer. “(When) they were moved onto a dirt surface, in seconds one hen began rolling. The rest caught on and in no time we were surrounded in a cloud of dust. But they were happy and provided us with all the eggs we could use!”
In an emergency, do you know what to do?
While the crisis, to some extent, has passed, there is no time like the present to take a cue from the Kelowna fires and heed a plea from animal rescue crews: PLAN! A disaster preparedness plan should be in every barn in the province and there is an excellent document on the Horse Council BC website, www.hcbc.ca, to help get you started. But the core priority, and the greatest issue for volunteer rescue organizations, is communication, identification of rescued animals cross-referenced with information on their owners, and transportation haulers.
“We were the only aid organization working with the SPCA,” said Stinson. “(But) at one point I had 12 horses missing and I didn’t know where they had been hauled to. Seven were lost. But we found them all and reunited them with their owners.”
To start a disaster action plan, place vital information inside a small ID tag that can be attached to your horse’s halter or woven into its mane or tail. A luggage tag is perfect for this. Include clear photographs (front and both sides) of the animal and a sheet stating your horse’s breed, colour, sex, age, defining marks, tattoos or brand, along with their usual feeding routines and medications. Include your contact information (name, phone number, cell phone, address, and name/address of your vet and/or a friend/relative). Keep copies of these documents ready to go in the luggage tag and also with your own disaster-ready kit. Cross reference everything and give a copy to the additional contact person listed. Ideally this should be someone who lives away from your area and won’t also be in a crisis should an evacuation order happen. Keep livestock markers (the ones used in auctions) handy so you can mark your animals prior to hauling. A practical idea is to write your name and phone number on its hindquarters.
Make the same set of documents for your pets. Make sure you have appropriate transport crates/kennels for them and tape and/or attach the same information to the container. In the chaos of an evacuation order you may be away from home shopping and unable to get back to get your animals out. If volunteers have to go in to rescue them you need to be able to cross-reference IDs.
Stockpile hay and feed, extra buckets, and a large container of water. Keep extra tools on hand as well as several water hoses. Teach your horse to load, and keep your own truck and trailer in good repair with insurance up to date. “So many times we are dealing with animals that have never been in a trailer,” said Wackenbauer. “It is not only extremely stressful on the animal (but) dangerous for the haulers.”
Know the hazards in your location. Are you vulnerable to a forest fire, a flood (living on a flood plain), or an earthquake? Get up to speed by knowing your local Provincial Emergency Preparedness (PEP) plans and key officials in case you need to contact someone quickly. Protect your home and barn. Clear out deadwood, tall grass, and combustible items around buildings and pay attention to extreme weather conditions. If risks look high, consider moving your animals early rather than waiting for the last moment. If you are able, offer to help the humane organizations in your area and provide space where rescued animals could be temporarily housed. With forethought and planning, livestock and pets can be kept safe under the direst of situations.
I’m sure all readers join us at Horse Community Journals to offer huge thanks and congratulations to all the humane aid coordinators, their army of volunteers, and the amazing fire fighters for a job brilliantly done.
Photos: Castanet.net, courtesy of BC Interior Horse Rescue
We hope you enjoyed the Pacific & Prairie Horse Journal September Online Feature.