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CMDART In the News

Worcester Telegram & Gazette

June 01. 2008
Methods taught for saving livestock
Group learns about rescuing animals

By Priyanka Dayal TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

UXBRIDGE— A lone horse might as well be a dead horse.

A lone horse needs to be rescued, and it wants to be led, Glenn R. Rhone explained at an animal disaster training session yesterday.

Just make sure you approach the horse correctly — slowly, quietly and from its left side.

Don’t stare at it.

If you stare at an animal, you become the prey, Mr. Rhone said. To the horse, that means fight or flee.

Mr. Rhone, a member of the national and Central Massachusetts Disaster Animal Response Teams, was among the instructors at a workshop at Iron Shoe Farms in Uxbridge yesterday, explaining how to handle livestock and horses in the event of a disaster.

“You can’t chase down a goat, you can’t chase down a horse,” he said.

Even a small horse, like Rocky, the 900-pound chestnut Haflinger who was the gracious subject of yesterday’s workshop, has the power to knock a person to the ground with his feet, or fling a person 40 feet with the swat of his backside.

Mr. Rhone, of Uxbridge, was among the throngs of rescue workers who descended on New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city in August 2005.

“There were a lot of horses running loose there,” he said.

He knows how to handle lost horses and runaways. He’s also had to rescue emus, falcons and tortoises, in emergencies across the country.

While hurricanes are not likely to devastate Central Massachusetts, smaller disasters, such as fires, are common. JoAnn Griffin of Douglas, president of the Central Massachusetts Disaster Animal Response Team, said the team helps rescue animals displaced by more than 1,000 fires in the region each year.

CMDART works mostly with pets and small animals. Yesterday’s workshop was the first in the region to cover large animals. Instructors showed rescue workers from around Massachusetts how to read animal body language, how to calm animals and how to capture them.

Mr. Rhone demonstrated how to turn a rope into an emergency halter, secure it around a horse’s neck and head, and walk the horse to safety.

As for loose goats? You’ll need a net, Mr. Rhone said. Have someone herd the goat in your direction, catch it with a net and cover its head with a towel to block its sight. (This won’t make the goat too happy, but it will ease his nerves.)

Daniela Tocci, an intern in the Leominster Office of Emergency Management, hadn’t worked much with goats and horses before yesterday. She learned to observe animals’ idiosyncracies “so you know how to react,” she said.

With horses, it’s about watching their feet. “Just let him know who’s the boss,” she said.

The owners of Iron Shoe Farms, Wayne and Lois Tucker, have eight horses and dozens of other animals. Over the years, the horses have marched through city streets and hauled wagonloads of people, but the Tuckers and their animals have been able to avoid dangerous situations.

“It’s a lot of thinking ahead,” Mr. Tucker said.

Emergencies involving horses may be rare. But Becky Kalagher of Douglas, one of the workshop leaders, said 28 years ago, her horse, Heidi, managed to slide out of the barn and wander a few miles to the next town. An Uxbridge woman found Heidi and brought her home.

“A lot of people have never dealt with these animals,” she said in a recent interview. “We’ve gotten away from our agricultural roots.”

CMDART is planning another large-animal training workshop on June 14.

Contact Priyanka Dayal by e-mail at pdayal@telegram.com.

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At Iron Shoe Farms in Uxbridge yesterday, Glenn Rhone of Uxbridge, right, demonstrates for volunteer handler Susie Caplette of Spencer, center, how to make a rope halter. (RICH DUGAS)