How do you prepare for an emergency?

This is not about Daisy and Sidney’s romance but in case you’re wondering, they’re still going strong! 🥰😂

Now, onto the real reason for this post. 🔥

How can you prepare for an emergency? While we have spent the entire year prepping the land at the CAPE Animal Sanctuary for fire season, we also have been training the animals how to respond when we need them to load up quickly. Every week, we work with all species to get them comfortable with an evacuation routine. Most of the animals with CAPE have only been in a trailer or crate when being rescued from a difficult situation. Getting them comfortable loading up quickly is paramount to their safety.

We have created and practiced routines for all of the species that keep everyone safe. We started with making the trailers and crates a fun space- putting straw, hay and water inside the trailers. We left the doors open so the animals could explore the enclosures at their own pace. Then we listened to their needs.

Remy, an ex-racehorse who is deeply bonded to Renegade, a once-wild Mustang with Cushings Disease, would get clearly upset and anxious if he was loaded first and couldn’t see his friend. We now keep Renegade on the side of the trailer while loading Remy so they can see each other throughout the process. Howard, a pot belly pig, was very nervous loading into a crate. We began feeding him his meals inside the crate, moving the bowl farther in as his comfort level grew. He now eats all of his meals inside the crate and has no stress being guided inside. 🐷

For us, these routines have created peace of mind. Every week, we practice evacuation drills by loading the animals into trailers. After each drill, things get easier, more efficient, and less stressful. While the threat of fire is terrifying to think about, we hope to encourage you to run through your processes. This will help keep you and all of your beloved family members, both human and non-human, safe during a stressful situation.
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❤️If you need help building your evacuation plan or packing your go bag, please contact us at info@capeanimals.org