The goats have returned to GottaGoat Farm.
Image Credit: FACEBOOK/GottaGoat Farm
August 20, 2022 - 6:01 PM
The animals of a goat yoga farm in the South Okanagan are happy to be home after they were evacuated two weeks ago due to a wildfire burning in the area.
GottaGoat Farm, on Green Mountain Road near Penticton, was never formally ordered to evacuate but when owners Cindy and Jeff Campbell saw the smoke and flames burning near their property, they decided it was time to relocate their animals.
The couple has taken a massive hit in terms of revenue for their farm, which normally is a popular place with tourists for events like goat yoga this time of the year.
"We were supposed to bring the goats to Peach Fest... so we had to cancel our appearance there," Cindy said.
They have 59 goats, three horses, a mini horse, donkeys and chickens, Jeff said.
“We were the last property before the order started and because we were so close and the fire was coming up behind us we thought we should be safe,” Cindy said.
It’s still scary. The couple watched a plane drop retardant on the fire near their home yesterday, Aug. 19, she said.
The duo are volunteers with The Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team, who helped them evacuate.
As of yesterday, the couple has started bringing the animals home. They remain on evacuation alert at this time. The goats, donkeys and horses were housed in Penticton but one goat, which is diabetic, was housed with friends in Okanagan Falls. The chickens were separated to multiple locations in the South Okanagan.
GottaGoat Farm is all too familiar with wildfires. In 2014, they watched a blaze a kilometre away from them. In the last two years, there were two fires along Green Mountain Road that put them on edge.
“There’s still a little bit of uncertainty… but there’s relief in having my animals home. The farm has not been right for two weeks,” Jeff said.
Evacuation alerts remain in effect due to the Keremeos Creek wildfire, burning roughly 21 km southwest of Penticton. Evacuation orders were lifted earlier this week and structure protection crews have been demobilized.
The B.C. Wildfire Service expects wind activity to pick up this weekend on the fire as thunderstorms are in the forecast.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Carli Berry or call 250-864-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2022