Farm animals from Acton sanctuary Animal Acres are safe following evacuation; sanctuary’s gala rescheduled

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Acton-based farm animal sanctuary Animal Acres, which opted to evacuate its 100-plus charges in the wake of the Station fire earlier this week, posted today on its Facebook fan page that the animals are all safe and sound at its emergency evacuation center near Palmdale.

With the ugly business of the emergency evacuation behind them, Animal Acres founder Lorri Houston wrote in a letter to supporters today that sanctuary workers’ current focus has shifted toward giving the animals ‘the best care possible by building additional shade shelters, installing automatic [waterers], misters to keep the animals cool, and other care needs.’

Meanwhile, the sanctuary’s gala scheduled for Saturday -- an annual event that, Houston notes, typically provides about half the funding Animal Acres needs to operate for the year -- has been both rescheduled and relocated. Originally slated to take place at Animal Acres, it has been moved to the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades and will take place Sept. 12.

In other evacuated-animals news, the L.A. Zoo’s spokesperson, Jason Jacobs, told The Times today that the animals brought to the zoo from another fire-threatened sanctuary, the Wildlife Waystation, are all safe and in fine health. Two chimpanzees from the Waystation escaped as they were being unloaded at the zoo Tuesday, but both were recovered quickly. The Waystation was in the midst of a full-scale evacuation Tuesday, with its exotic-animal residents, including lions, tigers and bears in addition to the chimps, being taken to several locations including the zoo and Pierce College.

For complete wildfire coverage, see The Times’ local news blog, L.A. Now, which is breaking the latest updates around the clock.

-- Lindsay Barnett