How are animals evacuating N.L. wildfires? These goats caught a ride with the Mounties

CBC

2 days ago

People across Conception Bay had to respond quickly to evacuation orders this week due to two raging wildfires. For animal owners, evacuating also meant finding somewhere to put their animals.
In Holyrood, one rancher had to figure out how to move 29 horses. Another pet owner had to call emergency services for help evacuating nine animals. In Carbonear, an animal rescue helped all kinds of animals.
When the wildfire started in Holyrood, N.L. on Monday, the first thing Sliding K Ranch owner Katrina Butler thought about was her horses.
"Honestly, the first thing that came to mind was let's just get them out … then we can worry about where they went," Butler told the St. John's Morning Show on Tuesday.
Butler said her own trailer can only hold four horses, so she had to ask for help from others on Facebook. She said people brought eight trailers to help with the effort.
The horses are now safe at four different stables in St. John's.
Butler said she is grateful to all of the people who offered help.
"It was pretty awesome to see everybody show up, and come together and offer everything that they could."
Nine animals and no car
Evacuating wasn't easy for Holyrood resident Leah Snook, who lives with her mother, cousin, and nine animals.
Snook said she only heard about the evacuation through social media.
"We were kind of watching all these cars going in and out our road, and we'd walk up to the end of the driveway, and no one would really stop to tell us what was going on."
Snook said if they didn't have Facebook, she wouldn't have known what was happening. She also said no authorities went to their door to tell them to evacuate.
Once she learned she had to evacuate, Snook said she had to figure out how to get out with two cats, two dogs, five chickens — and no car.
She said family members tried to come pick them up, but they were turned around.
"We actually had to call 911, and get search and rescue to come up and get us," she said.
While Snook waited, she said they harnessed the dogs, put the cats in carriers, and placed the chickens in plastic tubs.
Eventually, search and rescue crews brought them to the evacuation centre.
Snook said the response could have been better.
"We were kind of waiting around for three hours to figure out who was going to come pick us up when we had no transportation."
Snook said the animals were held at the evacuation centre for some time, but now they're staying with family.
Four goats evacuated by RCMP
Meanwhile, a wildfire in Kingston, N.L. also forced many Conception Bay North communities to evacuate this week.
A Carbonear-based animal rescue group decided to help by collecting donations for evacuees, and providing a place to put their animals.
New Life Rescue volunteer, Shannon Layman, said they collected donations at Re-Tail New Life Rescue Thrift Store in Carbonear.
"Anything from toiletries, to food for the animals," said Layman. "And when we get a call from the evacuation centre to send anything down, then [a volunteer] goes with a truckload."
Layman said the backyard of one of the volunteers seems to be turning into a small farm.
She said the Mounties transported four goats to the backyard — driving them there in the back of their cruisers.