When he took the call last December from Ellen Prosser of
Fort Lucas Farm in Massachusetts, Dan Ellsworth could sense the sincerity and concern
in her voice.
Hundreds of llamas were starving and in need of rescue at
the defunct Montana Large Animal Sanctuary.
"It was a simple answer," says Ellsworth, vice president of
marketing for Destron Fearing, a South St. Paul company specializing in animal
identification solutions. The company donated 600 of its LifeChip microchips
and four microchip readers to aid in the effort.
The chips and readers saved the rescue effort "thousands of
dollars," says Gary Kaufman, spokesperson for the Camelid Rescue Coalition, made
up of several regional llama rescue organizations from around the country. The
chips were used to "provide a permanent form of non-invasive identification of
the animals, similar to what people use on their dogs and cats," says Kaufman.
By the first week of February, "well in excess of 500" llamas
had been rescued and shipped to recovery areas in at least eight states,
according to Kaufman. (Not all the llamas survived; Kaufman estimates the original
number was 700.)
Kaufmann had little information about why the rescue was
necessary, except that the animal sanctuary "no longer had money for the
llamas." It will take months to nurse the animals back to health, he says.
Those interested in donating to the effort may contact Northeast Llama Rescue.
Founded in 1945, Destron Fearing was the first animal identification
company in the country, according to Ellsworth. Their radio frequency
identification (RFID) systems are used to identify livestock, wildlife, fish, pets, and companion animals.
Destron Fearing has 150 employees globally, about
three-quarters of them at their headquarters a few miles downriver from downtown St. Paul.
Sources: Dan Ellsworth, Destron Fearing; Gary Kaufman, Camelid Rescue Coalition.
Writer: Jeremy Stratton