OC Launches New Large-Animal Emergency Rescue Team: Report

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Orange County has launched a new volunteer-based program to help evacuate horses and cattle during wildfires, floods and mudslides, the Orange County Register reported.

The newly formed Orange County Animal Rescue Team, or OCART, will train and deploy volunteers equipped to transport large animals to safety during emergencies. Advocates say the program fills a critical gap for the county’s sizable equestrian community and the thousands of horses kept in fire-prone areas, where fast-moving disasters can overwhelm owners’ ability to evacuate animals on their own.

Organizers say the team is designed to coordinate with emergency responders, improving preparedness and response times when disasters threaten stables and ranches across Orange County.

County supervisors recently approved a formal agreement with OCART along with $75,000 in seed funding, clearing the way for the new large-animal rescue program to begin operations.

The program will be overseen by El Rodeo Rescue, a Brea-based nonprofit, which will manage both the funding and implementation of the team. El Rodeo owner Bill Klovstad said the county previously lacked an organized group of trained equestrians able to assist during disasters.

“There was no coordinated team of equestrians to help the county,” Klovstad said, calling OCART the first large-animal rescue team to be formally embraced by Orange County.

According to Klovstad, efforts to establish OCART began in late 2023, shortly after the San Juan Capistrano–based Large Animal Rescue Team announced plans to scale back its countywide services, leaving a significant gap in emergency response for horses and livestock.

Read more from the Orange County Register: Orange County’s new initiative to rescue large animals during emergencies