Officers jumped in to save 30 farm animals that escaped a trailer in the Pueblo I-25 crash
By Jessica Porter
Click here for updates on this story
PUEBLO, Colo. (KMGH) — Animal Law Enforcement officers with the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region jumped in to rescue 30 sheep and a goat caught in the chaos of a deadly crash on I-25 in Pueblo on Tuesday.
“It’s one of those days where you know everything’s going okay until it’s not,” said Nicole Michon the Animal Law Enforcement Training and Response Manager.
High winds whipped up dust, creating “brownout” conditions on the highway. Low visibility ultimately contributed to a massive crash involving 30 vehicles, shutting down both sides of the highway. Colorado State Patrol confirmed Wednesday that five people lost their lives.
Among the vehicles was a trailer carrying 30 sheep and a goat. According to Humane Society of Pikes Peak Region, some of the animals were trapped inside the damaged trailer, others were running loose along the interstate.
“It’s a stressful environment in terms of this gigantic situation unfolding, but their training really comes in handy at that point to just be able to focus on the animal and remove them from that safely,” said Michon.
Two Animal Law Enforcement officers were called to remove the animals from immediate danger. They successfully transported the animals to a new trailer and reunited them with their owner. Four of the sheep were severely injured and did not recover.
There are 45 officers on the Animal Law Enforcement team who are trained in animal handling and transportation. They serve El Paso, Pueblo, and Douglas Counties as well as the City of Centennial.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.