A B.C. rancher is looking for space to move his cattle after a wildfire burned through his pastures.
T.J. Walkem owns 60 Ranch in Spences Bridge and is a band member of Cook's Ferry Indian Band. The Shetland Creek wildfire destroyed one of his summer and fall pastures.
The 28,081-hectare wildfire is burning out of control in a culturally sensitive area and on a big portion of their reserve. The fire was started by lightning on July 12 and is located 7.5 kilometres north of Spences Bridge.
Walkem is looking for a fenced space with water for 150 cows and is willing to travel within a couple of hours.
"[We need a] corral and loading chute and it would be great for the land owner to be able to check in [on the cows] but not a must,” he says.
He didn’t just lose pastures but also had 12 cows die in the fire. Some were lost due to stress.
"It’s been a long month and we're still trying to catch up on our normal farm stuff that got put to the side when we had to evacuate,” says Walkem.
Some animals are still out in areas that burned in the fire and he is trying to get to them.
"The level of devastation out there for the forest and landscape is unreal,” Walkem tells Glacier Media. “The wolves survived so that’s an added layer on top of trying to get animals in.”
The cows appear to be getting healthy since being so close to the fire and he’s waiting to see which ones are pregnant.
Walkem is asking anyone with available space .
