Wildwood Farm Sanctuary and Preserve
Our Biggest Wish-List Items: a Van and a Second Trailer!
Sometimes you just really need some wheels.
September 2020 brought an unprecedented level of stress and worry while we contended with a blanket of thick smoke and warily watched a wildfire scorch hundreds of acres of Chehalem Mountain a couple miles north of our sanctuary. We and the animals lived with an eerie, hot haze and several sleepless nights, but firefighters got the fire under control before we had to evacuate all 100 of Wildwood’s animal residents.
It taught us a couple of things:
- Along with the stress and worry, we saw an outpouring of support from our community, which bolstered us through the strain and provided life-saving help to other area sanctuaries that actually did have to evacuate their animals.
- Even with a strong emergency plan in place, we were worried about the time it would take to load all of our animals and drive them off the property. We could do it more quickly with more vehicles.
Here’s what we all know: climate change means wildfires will be an ever-present concern. Our board reviewed our emergency evacuation plans and decided we need more capacity for loading and moving animals when minutes count.
We have one livestock trailer. In a normal world, that was always adequate. In our new world, that is not quite enough.
We need a second trailer to help us quickly load animals and prepare them to move to a safer place.
We hope to locate a livestock trailer as soon as possible, so our large animals have the opportunity to become acquainted with trailers and create positive associations with them. This will facilitate a smooth and safe evacuation if it ever becomes necessary.
We also need medical transport.
Our wonderful friend Billy Blue Eyes, one of the most senior goats at the sanctuary, suffered a serious leg injury this spring. Billy’s veterinarian came to the barn to assess the injury and put it in a splint, but because of his age and the location of the fracture, we soon realized Billy needed more extensive treatment, which requires a trip to the Oregon State University Veterinary Hospital in Corvallis. It’s about an hour’s drive.
We rented a van to safely transport our sweet Billy to the hospital, where he stayed for nearly a week and ultimately had surgery to remove the damaged leg. We rented another van to drive him home.
Billy is learning awesome tripod tricks and thriving now, but he’s one of multiple aging animals here who may need occasional trips to the vet. Goats, sheep, and alpacas ride best in an enclosed van, as do some of our larger birds. While small chickens and ducks can travel safely in the back of a station wagon, a larger geese or an expansive peacock who’s sporting several feet of colorful features need the space and safety of a van.
We’ve started a fund to help us secure a trailer and a van. We’ve set a budget for $15,000, and we’re asking our community to help us reach our goal.
The safety of our animals is always our primary concern, and these new wheels will greatly increase our ability to move them around safely and efficiently, either for medical care or an emergency evacuation.
If you would like to donate directly to the Trailer & Van Fund, check “I would like this donation to go to a specific fund” on the form and select “Trailer Fundraiser” on the dropdown.
