San Rafael news: More than 240 goats die in California trailer wreck

[Guest guest]

A sad story about goats who died suffering. Maybe we can write

letters to the San Rafael police department?

 

http://news./s/nm/20070707/us_nm/california_goats_dc

 

More than 240 goats die in California trailer wreck

 

Sat Jul 7, 5:12 PM ET

 

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - More than 200 goats needlessly suffocated

to death in an overturned livestock trailer near San Francisco

because police would not let their herder free them, their owner said

on Saturday.

 

" They were screaming, screaming, screaming to get out,' said Terri

Oyarzun, owner of Goats R Us, an Orinda, California, company that

rents goats for grazing brush that poses fire hazards. " They died

because the police wouldn't let them out of the trailer. "

 

In all 243 goats died on Friday after the four-tier truck trailer

transporting them flipped when the truck's driver made a sharp turn

on a street in San Rafael, California, a town in Marin County north

of San Francisco.

 

Police at the scene were so concerned with controlling traffic and

preventing another accident that they disregarded pleas by the goat's

herder to free the trapped animals, which could have been corralled

away from traffic, Oyarzun said.

 

" Those goats didn't have die, " she said. " It wasn't necessary. We had

herding dogs. "

 

About 150 goats survived, Oyarzun said.

 

A police spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

[Guest guest]

I wrote a letter online at the department's website, which I've

copied below.

 

http://www.cityofsanrafael.org/Government/Police_Department_Home_Page/Contac

t_Us.htm

 

Erhhung

-------

 

I just became aware of the gross mishandling by your department

regarding the recent incident where a trailer carrying grazing

goats accidentally overturned. Why did over 240 goats have to

scream in horror and die needlessly when an executable

" humanitarian " plan was available? The herder had dogs that

could have easily brought the goats to safety, but his pleas

were simply ignored by your police force at the scene?

 

This is very much reminiscent of the animal welfare negligence

fiasco after the Katrina disaster. Haven't we learned from that

national outrage that the lives of all animals should be valued

and rescued with all our effort when they are in danger?

 

I would like to see a full review of this incident with respect

to animal handling policies within your department, and take

disciplinary actions against those that are found to have ignored

established guidelines. I simply cannot understand how an officer

can play deaf to hundreds of screaming and suffering animals even

when the nearby traffic situation seemed difficult. These are

lives! You do whatever you can do to save lives! That is your

duty.

 

 

On Behalf Of

detodosmoles

Saturday, July 07, 2007 9:18 PM

 

San Rafael news: More than 240 goats die in California

trailer wreck

 

A sad story about goats who died suffering. Maybe we can write

letters to the San Rafael police department?

 

http://news./s/nm/20070707/us_nm/california_goats_dc

 

More than 240 goats die in California trailer wreck

 

Sat Jul 7, 5:12 PM ET

 

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - More than 200 goats needlessly suffocated

to death in an overturned livestock trailer near San Francisco

because police would not let their herder free them, their owner

said on Saturday.

 

" They were screaming, screaming, screaming to get out,' said Terri

Oyarzun, owner of Goats R Us, an Orinda, California, company that

rents goats for grazing brush that poses fire hazards. " They died

because the police wouldn't let them out of the trailer. "

 

In all 243 goats died on Friday after the four-tier truck trailer

transporting them flipped when the truck's driver made a sharp turn

on a street in San Rafael, California, a town in Marin County north

of San Francisco.

 

Police at the scene were so concerned with controlling traffic and

preventing another accident that they disregarded pleas by the goat's

herder to free the trapped animals, which could have been corralled

away from traffic, Oyarzun said.

 

" Those goats didn't have die, " she said. " It wasn't necessary. We

had herding dogs. "

 

About 150 goats survived, Oyarzun said.

 

A police spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.