Inside the Texas fairgrounds housing nearly 1,000 farm animal evacuees

Mother and colt are doing fine on Thursday at Brazoria County Animal Shelter and supply point, which is sheltering nearly 1,000 animals with similar stories. And it continues to receive, even as the initial rush of arrivals has slowed.

The makeshift shelter looks a little like a county fair—in fact, it’s located right on the fairgrounds. Horses and donkeys share space with peacocks and rabbits; sheep and goats are housed alongside rare chicken breeds. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension team is deploying its “ag strike” teams staffed by agents trained in emergency management. They are working alongside volunteers and the local Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), which is coordinating relief and recovery for companion animals (pets). Farm animals are being fed and watered by extension professionals, volunteers, and a team of veterinarians.

Donations ranging from five-pound bags of kibble to full truckloads of baled hay have been pouring in from farmers, ranchers, and concerned citizens. The fairgrounds are doubling as a supply hub, distributing necessities to animal owners in need. A statewide hotline fields calls from potential donors and juggles each shelter’s wish list.  

Even as fields dry out, many farms will face a long road to recovery. Flooding can damage grazing grounds and ruin stored food supplies, and many farmers will likely have to look inland to temporarily lease additional acreage. The Texas Department of Agriculture will work to match available grazing land with the people who need it.  

Monty Dozier is the Southeast Texas regional program director for AgriLife and is responsible for the Gulf Coast region. He’s leading the operation at the fairgrounds, and this isn’t his first major hurricane. In September of 2008, Hurricane Ike devastated Texas’ agriculture industry. “Ike was our first big opportunity to do a major livestock recovery effort,” he said when reached by phone Thursday afternoon. During that storm there were thousands of animal escapees. “Because of storm surge, we had some cows that were 30 miles from home pastures,” he said, adding that his team recovered 15,000 head of cattle.  

But Harvey is an entirely different storm. And Dozier said he expects the recovery will be, too. Ike required 6 to 7 weeks. But it’s hard to know how much Harvey will demand. After all, nobody has any concrete idea exactly how much Harvey has destroyed. This storm’s havoc is largely freshwater flooding, Dozier said. Ike’s was mostly storm surge. But as for how long the shelter will be prepared to house its refugees: “It all depends on what the river does.”

He was referring to the Brazos River, which the Houston Chronicle reported on Thursday is predicted to “continue rising through Friday,” putting nearly 200 square miles of the county at risk of being “inundated.” Friday’s flooding will come three days after a levee was breached at the Columbia Lakes subdivision, on the west side of the river, and further jeopardizes livestock grazing fields.

That means more animal escapees to be recovered by boat and trailer. “We’ve got about 35 head being trailered to a pasture nearby as we speak,” said Dozier, meaning that 35 cows had gotten loose and were located. They’ll each need a veterinary checkup, decontamination, and lots of fresh water before the team tries to locate their owners.

Dozier said he has heard that still more cattle are gathered on the levees. To catch them, extension staff will scatter feed nearby. Once the animals congregate around their food, they’ll be easier to coax into a vehicle.

During that flood, another horse was born. His owners called him Brazos. He’s 14 months old.

And now he’s back at the shelter for a second stay.

Want to help? AgriLife has set up this hotline: 979-845-7800 to accept donations (including supplies), which will be matched to the Gulf Coast area with that particular need.