For one fortunate Abbotsford cow, flood evacuations meant a return home and a familiar place to give birth despite all the chaos.
When catastrophic flooding occurred on Sumas Prairie early last week, WestGen – a livestock genetics company located at 1625 Angus Campbell Road – took in cows from others farmers whose farms had been flooded.
Abbotsford farmer Frank Dutra took advantage of the offer and expectant cow Margarita and others moved north to a more secure area.
However, when WestGen itself began to be impacted by flooding it meant a big rescue operation and the same cows who were taken to safety had to have another temporary home.
Love this – cows saved from flooding at WestGen #Abbotsford #flood pic.twitter.com/S5XqOGLfvw
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) November 17, 2021
Things quickly came full circle for Margarita, as Dutra contacted the owners of the Cooper farm on McMillan Road to see if they were able to house his animal. Actually, the Cooper farm was Margarita’s original home for many years.
Workers at the Cooper farm said they could see the anxiety drain away from Margarita after her arrival to a familiar place. Shortly after arriving, the cow gave birth to a healthy male calf in her former stall. The baby was born on Nov. 18 – two weeks premature – and handlers believe it was likely stress that caused the baby to arrive early.
Both mother and baby remain are healthy and are recovering in Margarita’s old pen.
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