Professor, Students Volunteer with Camp Fire Relief Effort

An animal and veterinary science professor and three students volunteered last month a temporary shelter for hundreds of animals injured in the Camp Fire in Northern California.

As a member of the California Veterinary Medical Reserve Corps for the past 10 years, Assistant Professor Dr. Joanne Sohn (in photo left) responded to a December call from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) for volunteers to help with the fire relief effort in Butte County.

Since this occurred during the semester break, Sohn offered the opportunity to her animal health science students. Jessica Hoffman, Marissa Sobel, and Leslie Sibrian-Acevedo carpooled to the Chico-area shelter and spent a day working there, while Sohn traveled separately and worked two days.

“We were able to participate and help treating wounds, performing surgeries, providing general care for the animals,” Sohn said.

Dr. Sohn and her students were joined by members of the CDFA, National Guard, Texas A&M response team in other agencies in the relief effort. They stayed in a large communal tent with federal and state workers, used portable toilets, showered in trailer, and ate in the mess tent.

“It was a very unique experience and one that my students enjoyed and learned from,” Sohn said. “In fact, my students said that many others wanted to participate, but could not because we only got less than a week’s notice.”