There are horses, chickens, sheep, and goats staying in the horse stalls at the KXA grounds.

(KIM ANDERSON / iNFOnews.ca)

KAMLOOPS - A  Kamloops woman helping house animals affected by evacuations in the province is putting an urgent call out for more volunteers.

Judy Banks and volunteers have been using the KXA grounds on the Tk'emlups reserve to house animals who are from wildfire evacuation areas.

Banks says the KXA Animal evacuation centre has been able to free up several stalls in the past few days, allowing them to accept more evacuated horses and small stock. She says dogs, cats and small animals are being handled by the Canadian Disaster Animal Rescue team two streets north of the KXA.

In an email statement, Banks says she finds it necessary to clarify the facts for evacuated people who are wondering where to take their animals due to some misinformation on social media.

She says trained and qualified evacuation transporters remain available and can be contacted at 250-371-1409 for assistance, or through the animal response team's main office at 778-227-0407.

Banks and volunteers are also providing redistribution services of feed and hay to evacuated animals being house elsewhere. She says they are in need of hay donations at this time including small squares of good quality grass with volunteer or low volume alfalfa.

Many of the animals Banks and volunteers are housing require low-sugar hay that is weed- and mold-free. Donated round bales will be redirected to evacuation reception sites where they can be most readily used. She says her team wants to see animals in burned-out areas being fed appropriately and as soon as possible.

Banks says there is 24-hour security on site, including RCMP support and recording of vehicles entering the compound.

Volunteers are much needed right now, so Banks is asking capable and experience barn and livestock helpers to contact 778-220-3096 to register and provide your availability for shifts and tasks. She says there are various animals who need continued expert care and a barn that needs to be kept in top shape.

Banks and her team are resettling animals to appropriate and available off-site locations. The resettlement coordinator can be reached at 778-921-0078.

The group is attempting to return animals home whose owners are confident they won't be re-evacuated in a few days.

"Any information on social media to the contrary is fake news," Banks says.

Read more about Banks and her team's journey here.

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