As flames from the Kincade Fire grew and evacuation orders began rolling out, a team of veterinary doctors and students from UC Davis mobilized. Their mission: to transport large animals and livestock out of zones threatened by the Kincade Fire.
We caught up with the UC Davis Veterinary Emergency Response Team (VERT) at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, where several horses, goats, and even a pair of emus were being sheltered.
Here are photos of the VERT team at work, and many of the animals they assisted.
UC Davis veterinary students Grace Bloom (L) and Briana Hamamoto-Hardman (R) do a medical checkup on horse Bella who was evacuated from the Kincade Fire.
Yonder Hills Farm owner Kathy Jorgenson checks on her horses at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds evacuation shelter on Oct. 29, 2019.
Yonder Hills Farm owner Kathy Jorgenson’s barn burned down in the Kincade Fire. 19 of her horses were evacuated to Sonoma County Fairgrounds on Oct. 27, 2019.
Dr. John Madigan founded and coordinates the UC Davis Veterinary Emergency Response Team. During evacuations due to the Kincade Fire, the team provided medical assistance to animals evacuated to Sonoma County Fairgrounds.
Livestock owner Moises Lopez had to evacuate his goats to the Sonoma County Fairgrounds on Oct. 27, 2019, to escape the encroaching Kincade Fire.
This British Guernsey goat belonging to farm owners Catherine and Brian Shapiro was among many large animals evacuated during the Kincade Fire to Sonoma County Fairgrounds on Oct. 27, 2019.
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