The trailers arrived all at once, carrying hundreds of horses fleeing the Eaton and Palisades fires in Los Angeles.
Some horses came solo, others in trailers packed with fellow animals. Many had their owners, but others arrived alone, brought in by their rescuers or animal control. One horse, according to volunteers, actually carried his owner all the way from Altadena – which would have taken five hours by foot. Pigs, donkeys and miniature horses followed.
Within 24 hours, the Los Angeles Equestrian Center had been transformed into a modern-day Noah’s Ark. Over the last week, it has sheltered hundreds of animals from the disaster as part of its official role as one of the city’s large animal shelters.
The facility, tucked in the shadow of Griffith Park, has taken in more than 200 horses, on top of the roughly 500 already living there.
Last Tuesday and Wednesday were “chaos”, said Jennie Nevin, a spokeswoman for the equestrian centre. The facility catalogued every horse that arrived, making sure they could be reunited. Sheltering the animals came at no cost for the owners, thanks to the support of public donations and frequent drop-offs of free hay, feed and other supplies.
Sergio Marcial was one of dozens of people who brought animals here after their own facilities were destroyed or threatened.
A week ago, he and his girlfriend Jenny Bacon raced to help rescue more than 70 animals from the Eaton Dam Stables while battling flames so intense that his face mask caught fire and his eyeglasses shattered and warped.
His efforts landed him in the hospital, his lungs and throat burned after inhaling the torched air.
One week later, Mr Marcial, 29, and Ms Bacon, 30, walked
The post ‘We sing to them’: LA stables turn Noah’s Ark for fire rescue animals first appeared on EnviroLink Network.
