Tragedy, loss. Those are often the first words which come to mind in the aftermath of a fire.
Usually, people imagine the loss of their home, personal belongings and property. For some though, it means the loss of a family member, or separation from them.
Some of those family members may also have four legs and be sporting a collar.
Indeed, the Highway 82 Brantley fire has left pets and livestock displaced and homeless. With citizens left homeless, and some still disbarred from returning to their properties by law enforcement while the firefighting continues, local animal rescues and organizations have stepped in to help.
One local rescue, Brantley Animal Rescue Coalition (BARC), had to evacuate 60 pets from its facility Tuesday (April 21). BARC moved to Allmon’s Camp Animal Aid in Blackshear.
Lois Vasillion of BARC painted an upsetting picture of what the fire has left in its wake — animals left behind, some in pens, injured and burned.
“I almost had to leave my pets,” she recalled.
However, the full extent of the fire’s impact cannot yet be judged, as roads continue to reopen, residents return home, and damage assessments proceed.
According to Vasillion, most of the animals in their care have yet to be reclaimed by their owners.
When asked about what supplies or aid BARC might need, Vasillion assured people the organization is well-stocked for dog food. She encouraged those wanting to donate dog food to take it to Satilla Grocery for the community.
South Georgia Equine Rescue (SGER), based in Waynesville, likewise had to evacuate April 20. They have relocated their operations to Jesup.
While their property was spared from the flames, it was not until late last week when roads were reopened in their area.
Since the fire began, SGER has taken in 13 cats, four pigs, five rabbits, a sheep, and several dogs, albeit not many, as according to SGER owner Heather Gavitt, the operation already had more than enough to handle.
“I know there’s a lot of other rescues that have taken in more amounts of dogs,” Gavitt said. “We really didn’t have the ability to take in a ton of dogs, because we already have about 180 dogs.”
One notable rescue made was a donkey named “Luke”, who sustained multiple severe burns across his body. When asked about other livestock rescued, Gavitt responded, “We didn’t get a ton of calls about them, so I think a lot of them too, probably had perished already.
“We’ve been working with our vet with him (“Luke”). There’s not a whole lot you can do for them, except support them through it.”
Gavitt and SGER have since taken the time to begin moving their animals from Waynesville to Jesup, as they have begun construction on a new rescue there. She estimated another two months to complete the building enough to move all the animals over. This change in operation will not impact the organization’s service area.
“We already serve everywhere,” Gavitt said. “We actually pull a lot of dogs from Wayne County. That’s kind of why the move to Wayne County was so welcome to come here, because we work with Wayne County Animal Control really closely, city and county. But we will still help Brantley County dogs.
“We’re here to help, as far as spaying and neutering, so if you’re interested in that, we like to help with that, because that helps us not have this big overpopulation problem.”
Vasillion thanked Allmon’s Camp, Animal Aid USA, the Savannah Humane Society, and BARC’s private supporters for their help.
