Wildland Firefighter crews work throughout the night as they backburn areas of the Caldor Fire to prevent further spread. Grizzly Flats, California, USA, 2021.
Nikki Ritcher / We Animals
Exposing the animals within The Environment and Climate Crisis
Animals feel the impacts of climate change as wildfires ignite western United States and Canada.
We Animals has photographed the impacts of wildfires on animals in California and British Columbia in the hottest summer on record. These images show animals in smoky and charred environments, rescuers toiling to save them in emergency conditions, and the dramatic efforts of firefighters and helicopters to control blazes that threaten human and animal life.
Photographers: Nikki Ritcher & Vivienne Giames
Written by: We Animals
Helicopters work continually throughout the day dropping water on a hot zone that erupted near the fire decimated town of Grizzly Flats. California, USA, 2021.
Nikki Ritcher / We Animals
Cows grazing near Goose Lake in Vernon BC. Thick smoke from the White Rock Lake wildfire billows in the background. BC, Canada, 2021.
Vivienne Giames / We Animals
On the evening of August 14th, 2021, the Caldor fire exploded in size in the foothills of the Sierra Mountain range southwest of Lake Tahoe, California. The fire has grown to over 118,000 acres (477 square kilometers) and is only nine percent contained, forcing thousands of humans and animals alike to be evacuated.
We Animals photojournalist Nikki Ritcher was able to photograph a seven-person animal rescue team responding to calls from animal owners desperately trying to get animals out of the active fire zone. These seven volunteers represented four different California counties and two different local volunteer agencies. One animal control volunteer from El Dorado County, where the fire originated, was working his seventh straight day with less than two hours of sleep each night.
“What I realized was the massive effort from multiple agencies, organizations, all volunteering to help rescue animals while putting themselves in harms way within the active fire zone. Most of the people that I worked alongside were working on their days off, or volunteering, sometimes for seven days straight with no more than two hours of sleep a night. I definitely left feeling in awe of their incredible efforts.” ― Nikki Ritcher
A pig stands close to his rescuers within the active Caldor Fire zone, before they relocate him to safety. California, USA, 2021.
Nikki Ritcher / We Animals
Often farmed animals are not trailer-trained, nor are there evacuation routes set up on owners’ properties to get them safely into stock trailers. These circumstances create an almost impossible feat for the volunteers to get these animals evacuated and volunteers have to spend hours trying to rescue them. Evacuation also adds unnecessary stress to the animals who are already fire-stressed and scared, all while putting the volunteers’ lives at risk in an active fire zone. As of August 25th, over 600 farmed animals have been displaced by the Caldor fire and are living in three different shelters.
Animal Control Officer Shawn Harrold, of El Dorado County, where the Caldor Fire began, safely rescues a goat in an active fire zone and evacuated area near Grizzly Flats. California, USA, 2021.
Nikki Ritcher / We Animals
A lone wild horse outside Osoyoos BC. The Nk’Mip Creek wild fire burns in the background. BC, Canada, 2021.
Vivienne Giames / We Animals
Simultaneously, in British Columbia as of early August, We Animals was able to document some of the 280 active wildfires, fuelled by three unprecedented heatwaves shattering Canadian records. Evacuation orders remain in place for more than 3,500 properties across the province, even while temperatures begin to cool. Already 6,506 square kilometres (1.6 million acres) have burned, almost double the past decade’s wildfire seasonal average. The BC Wildfire Service has responded to 1,427 wildfires since April 1 and dozens of volunteers have been evacuating hundreds of farmed animals.
Wildland Firefighter crews work throughout the night as they backburn areas of the Caldor Fire to prevent further spread. Grizzly Flats, CA, USA, 2021. Nikki Ritcher / We Animals
Cows graze in smoky conditions from the White Rock Lake fire. Much of BC has been under air quality warnings for weeks due to heavy smoke from local fires. Monte Creek, British Columbia, Canada, 2021. Vivienne Giames / We Animals
Noelle Paulsen, a volunteer with Solano Community Animal Response Team, kisses a rescued chicken from the Caldor Fire. Placerville, CA, USA, 2021. Nikki Ritcher / We Animals
A goose waddles within safety at Saureel Vineyard, which opened it's ranch and farm to livestock evacuated from the Caldor Fire. Saureel Vineyard, Placerville, CA, USA, 2021. Nikki Ritcher / We Animals
An animal control officer makes a house call within the evacuation fire zone bringing water and food for owners chickens at their property within the Caldor Fire. Due to maxed out livestock shelters, animal rescuers have to leave some animals behind. Grizzly Flats, CA, USA, 2021. Nikki Ritcher / We Animals
Goats being evacuation from the White Rock Lake fire evacuation areas. Vernon, British Columbia, Canada, 2021. Vivienne Giames / We Animals
Local county animal control officers successfully rescue a pig from immediate danger within the active fire zone from the Caldor Fire. Grizzly Flats, CA, USA, 2021. Nikki Ritcher / We Animals
A rescued goat within safety at Saureel Vineyards, which opened its ranch and farm to livestock evacuated from the Caldor Fire. Saureel Vineyards, Placerville, California, USA, 2021. Nikki Ritcher / We Animals
A children's John Deere tractor remains in the yard of a homeowners property that was destroyed due to the Caldor Fire in the town of Grizzly Flats. Grizzly Flats, California, USA, 2021. Nikki Ritcher / We Animals
An Animal Control Officer tries to lure a hungry pig into a stock trailer to be evacuation out of the active fire zone. Omo Ranch, CA, USA, 2021. Nikki Ritcher / We Animals
Volunteers console Flapjack, a donkey requiring evacuation. BC, Canada, 2021. Vivienne Giames / We Animals
Bucket helicopters are critical to fire suppression efforts. Westwold, British Columbia, Canada, 2021. Vivienne Giames / We Animals
Remnants of fire retardant cover the barn of a home near the decimated town of Grizzly Flats, CA. Grizzly Flats, California, USA, 2021. Nikki Ritcher / We Animals
Local & neighboring county animal control officers try to coerce a 600 pound male pig into a stock trailer and out of immediate danger within the active fire zone of the Caldor Fire. Grizzly Flats, CA, USA, 2021. Nikki Ritcher / We Animals
Animal Control Officer Shawn Harrold, of El Dorado County, where the Caldor fire began, feeds hungry unattended goats left in the wake of the evacuation before rescuing them from the active fire zone. Grizzly Flats, CA, USA, 2021. Nikki Ritcher / We Animals
Animal Control crews rescue dozens of chickens from Caldor Fire evacuation areas . Placerville, CA, USA, 2021. Nikki Ritcher / We Animals
Animal Control crews rescue dozens of chickens from Caldor Fire evacuation areas . Placerville, California, USA, 2021. Nikki Ritcher / We Animals
Goats evacuation from the White Rock Lake fire are released into temporary enclosures at a location beyond evacuation areas. Vernon, British Columbia, Canada, 2021. Vivienne Giames / We Animals
Cattle graze in smoky conditions from the White Rock Lake fire. Much of BC has been under air quality warnings for weeks due to heavy smoke from local fires. BC, Canada, 2021. Vivienne Giames / We Animals
The southeastern edge of the White Rock Lake wildfire. Vernon, BC, Canada, 2021. Vivienne Giames / We Animals
An animal control officer tries to lure a 600 pound male pig out of his pen to safely get him into a stock trailer, and out of immediate danger within the active fire zone. Grizzly Flats, CA, USA, 2021. Nikki Ritcher / We Animals
Animal Control Officer Brian Graspointner, of neighboring Placer County, rescues a domesticated rabbit left behind due to the mandatory evacuation. CA, USA, 2021. Nikki Ritcher / We Animals
A cow stands in the burnt landscape of a property under evacuation order, watching as others are loaded into trailers by animal rescue volunteers. California, USA, 2021. Nikki Ritcher / We Animals
A windmill still stands with the orange night sky lit by the Caldor Fire behind it. Grizzly Flats, CA, USA, 2021. Nikki Ritcher / We Animals
Last month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a landmark report that, according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, “is a code red for humanity”. This sobering report confirms unequivocally the role of human activity in the climate change that is impacting our planet – heatwaves, floods, droughts, wildfires, hurricanes and other extreme weather events becoming more frequent and intense.
A “code red for humanity” is a code red for all animals.
Photographers: Nikki Ritcher & Vivienne Giames
Written by: We Animals
To view more images from this collection, visit our BC Wildfire and Caldor Wildfire galleries.