JESSUP, Ga. – As wildfires burned in Brantley County and threatened areas near Highway 82, the owner of South Georgia Equine Rescue said she had only a short window to move hundreds of animals out of harm’s way.
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Heather Gavitt, who runs the rescue in the Waynesville area, said she woke up and saw the fire and knew it was time to evacuate.
“That morning I had woken up and saw the fire and said yeah it’s time to go,” Gavitt said.
Gavitt’s rescue is located less than two miles from Highway 82, near the path of the ongoing wildfires in Brantley County. She said she needed help fast, so she turned to social media.
“I pretty much put on a Facebook post and told them it’s go time and the amount of people that showed up, was pretty overwhelming. I think at that point we were stuffing two or three dogs in crates,” she said.
With volunteers assisting, Gavitt said she was able to move nearly all of her animals within about six hours, including roughly 150 dogs, along with horses, goats, pigs and chickens. Many of the animals were brought to a property in Jessup, about 35 miles away, where they are now being housed.
News4JAX visited the temporary location in Jessup, where Gavitt said the community support has been critical, but the need is ongoing.
The rescue is still working to keep animals safe and healthy, and Gavitt said food, supplies and adequate space remain top priorities as they continue to care for dozens of animals.
Gavitt is also helping animals affected by the wildfires beyond her own rescue, including a donkey that suffered burns.
“This is Luke,” Gavitt said. “It’s a painful process to heal, but he’s not scratching it as much anymore.”
Despite the stress of evacuation and the continued recovery effort, Gavitt said she plans to keep helping abandoned and injured animals as wildfire impacts continue across the region.
She said the rescue has started a GoFundMe fundraiser, initially to help cover Luke’s medical needs, but also to support the broader relocation and growth of the rescue.
There is also another GoFundMe set to help raise funds for food supplies and medical needs for the animals.
“We did start a GoFundMe initially — we just started for Luke,” Gavitt said. “If we can turn this into not only helping Luke but also getting this moved on… It’s time for change and growth, and just being able to help a lot more.”
Gavitt said her rescue in the Waynesville area was ultimately spared from the wildfires, but she plans to continue animal rescue operations in Jessup moving forward.