First responders helped stranded animals after Tropical Storm Eta's heavy rains caused some flooding in South Florida, according to Local 10.
Davie Fire Rescue (DFR) got a call about two stranded alpacas and three goats in a flooding barn in rural Davie. DFR Assistant Chief Jorge Gonzalez said they don't usually get calls for stranded animals. “No, it’s not a call that we get very often,” Gonzalez told Local 10.
Owner Cherie Kaplan said she was running out of options as floodwater was rising fast in the barn overnight. “These are my babies,” Kaplan said. “I feel so responsible because they’re rescues and they’ve had such a hard life sometimes, so I feel like I need to protect them, and I felt like I was failing. I was really getting worried.” The owner added that if the goats got in the water, they would freeze and drown.
Kaplan made the call, and crew members were able to walk the alpacas over. “The goats, on the hand, had to be carried because they wouldn’t go through the water," Gonzalez said. The successful rescue took about 20 minutes.
“It was such a bad situation and when they showed up, it just turned better,” Kaplan said.
Photo: Davie Fire Rescue Department