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malibusurfsidenews.com life & arts
Malibu surfside news | November 29, 2018 | 15
Malibu Wines’ fire plan raises eyebrows
Winery explains
decision to keep
Stanley, others on
its premises
Joe Coughlin, Publisher
Malibu Wine Safaris endured
heavy viral outrage
in the wake of the Woolsey
Fire after it decided to keep
its large animals, including
beloved Stanley the giraffe,
on site during the disaster.
As evacuation began,
postings across social media,
some of which were
picked up by media outlets,
stated Stanley was in
danger and needed to be
rescued.
Owners of the safari and
Saddlerock Ranch quickly
tried to respond to the drama,
but the rumors were out
of control.
“First and foremost,
we’re extremely happy
to report that our beloved
Stanley the Giraffe is alive
and well,” says a statement
from Dakota Semler,
CEO and founder. “And
while we hope to find the
one sheep that is still unaccounted
for, we can report
that the remainder of our
animals are in good hands
— they’re alive, safe, secure
and receiving aroundthe-clock
care. We are also
extremely thankful that our
staff and volunteers are
safe, as well.”
The Woolsey Fire cross
Interstate 101 late Thursday
night, about the same time
Saddlerock Ranch received
an evacuation notice. According
to ranch personnel,
it began to enact evacuation
procedures at 12:20 a.m.
Nov. 9.
In his statement, Semler
said there were evacuation
plans ready for Stanley and
the other large animals on
the property.
“As [the ranch’s veterinarian]
Dr. [Stephen] Klause
stated, our ‘fire’ evacuation
plan has always consisted of
moving the larger animals
to land on the property that
would be safe from potential
fire,” the statement reads.
“How did we know this land
would be safe from flames?
Fortunately, this wide open
area at Saddlerock has no
trees or brush — and only
consists of gravel, dirt, and
a large lake.
“Effectively, this barren
enclosure has little to
no ‘fuel’ to power a fire or
facilitate the spread of one
for 80 acres, ample space
to store all of our exotic and
domestic animals. This was
also verified by the USDA.”
As the fire approached
midday Friday, however,
Stanley still had not
been moved from his pen,
prompting another round
of social media fury that
included a petition that
amassed thousands of digital
signatures.
Semler said the ranch had
three teams working to get
Stanley and the rest of the
animals in their disasterassigned
spaces by 7:30
a.m. Friday, Nov. 9. Since
Stanley was “distressed,”
the teams waited to calm the
giraffe before moving him.
And, he added, the danger
implied in a circulating
photo was not genuine.
“The image of Stanley
circulating on social media,
while very jarring, does not
portray the proper context
of the situation,” he said.
“The reason we waited to
evacuate Stanley is that he
was distraught, and, as previously
mentioned, large
animals have a tendency
to fatally injure themselves
in stressful situations. Behind
the camera were over
30 men and women keeping
Stanley calm, and assembling
the necessary
resources to remove him
from the premises.”
But as many pointed out,
the Woolsey Fire was an unprecedented
event, both in
the speed and movement.
So why, many asked, didn’t
the ranch attempt to get
Stanley and company completely
off-site to ensure
their safety.
Semler answered that
question too.
“It’s important to remember
the animals were
incredibly distressed,”
he wrote. “Moving a distressed
animal — especially
a large one, like a giraffe
of Stanley’s height — onto
a trailer is a very delicate
process, especially since
they can cause injuries to
themselves in the process.
There was enormous potential
for the animals to
sustain life-threatening
injuries, like a broken leg,
which would’ve only compounded
our issues at the
time.
“It’s paramount to understand
that we absolutely
did not want to risk injuring
Stanley during the evacuation
process.”
Faith Briefs
Malibu Presbyterian Church (3324
Malibu Canyon Road, 310-456-1611)
Operation Christmas Child
The church is collecting
donations for Operation
Christmas Child through
Sunday, Dec. 9 (the deadline
has been extended due to the
Woolsey Fire). Donors are
asked to pack a shoebox with
small toys and toiletry items.
For more information, visit
www.samaritanspurse.org.
Worship Services
10:15 a.m. Sundays
Malibu United Methodist Church (30128
Morning View Drive, 310-457-7505)
Worship
10:30-11:30 a.m., Sundays.
Child care available.
St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church (28211
Pacific Coast Highway, 310-457-7966)
Advent Season
Sundays, Dec. 2-23.
Contemplative Worship
8 a.m. Sundays
Traditional Worship
10 a.m. Sundays
University Church of Christ (24255 PCH,
310-506-4504)
A cappella Service
10:15 a.m. Sundays, in
Elkins Auditorium
Instrumental Service
5 p.m. Sundays, in
Stauffer Chapel
Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue
(24855 PCH 310-456-2178)
Torah Study
10 a.m. Saturdays, with
Rabbi Michael Schwartz.
Open to all.
Our Lady of Malibu Church (3625 Winter
Canyon Road, 310-456-2361)
Centering Prayer
8:30 a.m. second and
fourth Thursdays
Vintage Church (Webster Elementary
School, 3602 Winter Canyon Road,
310-395-9961)
Sunday Service
4-5:30 p.m. Sundays,
with children’s ministry
Calvary Chapel Malibu (30237 Morning
View Drive, 424-235-4463)
Service
10 a.m. Sundays
Have an event for faith briefs?
Email lauren@malibusurfside
news.com. Information is due
by noon on Thursdays one
week prior to publication.
MALIBU’S LEASING SPECIALIST
ACOMPLETE RENTAL AND LEASING DEPARTMENT
Isabel Miller CalDRE 00824077
310.456.RENT
Isabel@MalibuLeasing.com www.IsabelMiller.com
PR Pritchett-Rapf
Realtors
It’s different here.