By JOLENE CRAIG
Ohio Correspondent

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — Because disasters are not only for humans, the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department in Parkersburg, W.Va., will hold large animal rescue classes May 29 and 30.
“One of the weaknesses statewide is our inability to deal with large animal disasters effectively,.” said Jim Rose, regional threat preparedness coordinator with the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department.

This weekend, the department with the aid of the Wood/Wirt County Local Emergency Planning Committee, Mid-Ohio Valley Animal Rescue Workgroup and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture will hold the Large Animal Rescue Project at the Wood County Fairgrounds in Mineral Wells, W.Va.

About 70 people had signed up for the workshop by early May, and applications will continue to be accepted online, Rose said.
“The more the merrier,” he said.

The event is free and open to anyone who wants to learn, including emergency responders, veterinarians and their staff as wells those who may become involved in the rescue and/or movement of large animals under emergency conditions. It is also not exclusive to people from the Mid-Ohio Valley, Rose said.

“We want anyone who is willing to learn to come,” he said.
Instruction of the course will be performed by Days End Farm of Woodbine, Md., which is a nationally recognized leader in the rescue, recovery, care and treatment of horses, Rose said. Primary veterinary care for the course will be provided by Dr. Roberta Haught DVM, and her staff at Colegate Woods Veterinary Hospital in Marietta, Ohio.

Rose said the course will provide needed information, improve the understanding of horses and other large animals, promote safe practices and offer tips on effective intervention and management of emergencies as well as other things.

“We have been working on this for a while,” Rose said. “We were interested in the project at the health department after we started a group to facilitate animal health in our region; we have a need for these services and no capabilities.”

The classes will include hands-on training on how to deal with large animals in emergency situations with the use of mock-up animals.
“Real animals are not used for the majority of the training situations,” Rose said. “We don’t want to upset them or harm them and the mock-ups are very realistic.”

The training sessions will include a history of animal rescue, horse characteristics and behavior, scene management and operations, lift systems and techniques and tips for special situations.
The course is being offered at no charge to participants through the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, as well as federal monies provided by the Department of Homeland Security’s Western Migration services.

To register, call the health department’s threat preparedness office at 304-485-7493.