Montana News

Homes still sought for hundreds of animals left homeless after sanctuary closes

Posted: Dec 20, 2010 9:06 AM by Breanna Roy - KPAX

HOT SPRINGS, MT - Animal care organizations are still looking for permanent homes for more than 1,000 animals after the sanctuary where they lived ran out of money.

The Montana Large Animal Sanctuary and Rescue in Sanders County asked for financial help earlier this month. National, state and local animal care representatives stepped in to try and find new homes for hundreds of animals.

"It's a huge rescue. It's a gigantic effort and it's going to take time. We're all impatient to get this done really rapidly," explained Montana Horse Sanctuary founder Jane Heath. "One of the really big pieces [of] this puzzle is that there are about 750 llamas, there are about 100 horses up there - cattle, sheep, goats, emus and other animals, so it's going to take time."

While they won't adopt the animals until they are in stable condition, those coordinating the effort say it's not too early to apply if you're interested.

The Montana Animal Care Association requests that you email the following appropriate people if you want to lend a hand.
• Llamas: Phyllis Ruana, Montana Animal Care Association president, MACusa@aol.com
• Horses: Jane Heath, Montana Horse Sanctuary executive director, ht@mt.net
• Farm animals: Susie Coston, Farm Sanctuary national shelter director, scoston@farmsanctuary.org
They're also looking for volunteers who can transport the animals.