Volunteers provide manpower for Forest Animal Rescue move
Silver Springs, FL (February 27, 2013) – In 4 days, RedRover Responders volunteers assisted in moving 138 wild animals from Hardee County to their new home at the Forest Animal Rescue by Peace River Refuge & Ranch outside Silver Springs.
RedRover Responders deployed 5 volunteers to join the crew of 48 people, which included highly trained animal disaster responders, seasoned volunteers, and medical and veterinary personnel from 7 different animal welfare organizations.
Volunteers spent four consecutive days moving the animals – including bears, bats, lemurs, capuchin monkeys, spider monkeys and big cats – to the new property. Each day, the single-file caravan of two transport trailers and up to nine vehicles transported critters and crew from Zolfo Springs to the new refuge site near Silver Springs. After the four to six hour trek, volunteers unloaded the animals into their temporary enclosures before heading back to Hardee County to transport another group of the herd.
This is the second time RedRover Responders has deployed to assist Forest Animal Rescue. In January, five RedRover Responders volunteers helped to prepare the 80-acre property for the arrival of the animals, building fencing and animal habitat for the refuge. Lisa Stoner from Forest Animal Sanctuary said she appreciated the “can-do” attitude of the RedRover Responders volunteers to make their new site ready to receive the animals and their helpful and cooperative personalities.
Distinguished by their red shirts, RedRover Responders volunteers are specially trained to care for and shelter large numbers of animals. RedRover Responders volunteers provide manpower, free of charge, that enables local animal control and law enforcement agencies to care for people and pets when disaster strikes. Volunteers take time off work and travel at their own expense to help animal victims of disasters.
View photographs of the tigers, cougars and other animals on RedRover’s blog
To support RedRover’s work to provide temporary sheltering for animals rescued from large-scale cruelty situations or displaced by natural disasters, visit their website at www.redrover.org/donate.
MEDIA CONTACT: LEILI KHALESSI, 916.429.2457 or lkhalessi@redrover.org
Founded in 1987, RedRover focuses on bringing animals out of crisis and strengthening the bond between people and animals through a variety of programs, including emergency sheltering, disaster relief services, financial assistance and humane education. Learn more at www.redrover.org.
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