Malibu Wine Safaris continues to clear its name.
As we reported, several celebs — including Khloé Kardashian and Whitney Cummings — criticized or expressed disappointment with the attraction for seemingly not evacuating its many animals (including Stanley the Giraffe) amid the Woolsey Fires.
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(On Monday, Dr. Stephen Klause –a veterinarian who works with the animals at the ranch — claimed the company moved “the animals into the central area,” explaining that “exotic animals cannot simply be haltered and moved onto a trailer and off of the property.”)
On Wednesday, the winery issued a new statement on its website defending its emergency plan. Dakota Semler, CEO and founder, wrote:
“Caring for animals, especially exotic ones, is a very big job… we care deeply for all of our animals as well as our staff.”
The CEO confirms that all of the animals — except for one unaccounted-for sheep — are safe and sound.
The statement then describes the company’s protocol for these kinds of situations:
“In addition to giving animals food, water, love, and a clean living space, caregivers should (and are required by law) develop a plan to evacuate the animals to a safe location in the event of a disaster. Because of our geography, Malibu Wine’s evacuation plan is designed around the impeding threat of wildfires. Our plan was developed with the USDA, and they also helped us train the safari staff through educational materials. In addition to drills, we have been involved in helping others evacuate animals during fires (such as the Thomas Fire), by providing resources like trailers, shelter for animals, and even by physical helping evacuate animals.”
Semler then reiterates and defends Klause’s point of moving the animals to a central, wide open area that consists of short grass, dirt, gravel, and a lake area.
As to why the animals (small, exotic, and domestic) were not relocated offsite at the same time, Semler says moving a distressed animal — especially a tall one like Stanley — is a “very delicate process” that could result in “life-threatening injuries.”
Additionally, the company waited to move Stanley because “large animals have a tendency to fatally injure themselves in stressful situations.”
Overall, Semler is proud of the company, and feels that their efforts to “save all human and as much animal life as possible” is “nothing short of a miracle.”
Read the full statement HERE.
[Image via Stanley The Giraffe/Instagram.]
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