EL PASO COUNTY — The Ginger Snap Rescue Ranchowners in El Paso County spent the last five years rebuilding from the ground up.
They have since become a nonprofit, dedicated to rescuing abandoned farm animals but rising from the ashes has not been easy.
60 animals were lost to the 117 Fire that burned the Ginger Snap Ranch in 2018.
The fire went on to scorch more than 40 thousand acres south of Colorado Springs.
"It was pretty devastating to leave them behind. Not knowing what was going to happen,” said Eryn Maggard, the ranch’s owner.
"We lost all the buildings, all the feed, all the tack,” said Maggard.
Eryn's house still remained. Counting this as a blessing, she decided to turn her pain into something good.
"My husband said, well if you want a rescue just tell me what you need and then I'll start building for you," said Maggard.
The ranch now operates as a nonprofit animal rescue and a home for 200 animals.
"It makes you feel good. I love doing it. I love helping the animals and helping the people as well,” said Maggard.
Taking care of these rescues is a full-time job.
"We feed and water and brush and groom and it's seven days a week, 24 hours a day,” said Maggard.
New animals arrive at the ranch almost every day.
"We are getting rescues about daily right now and people just get in bad situations. They lose their home. Some people get sick. Some people pass away and it's just a security to them to know that their animals go to a safe spot,” said Maggard.
It's also a place for volunteers to come out and spend time with the animals.
"I love spending time with the animals because they make me feel better, calmer, it's a nice place to be and it's quiet around here. They do make noises, sometimes, it's pretty funny,” said Tammie Sisneros, a volunteer at the ranch.
Goats, horses, and chickens are just some of the animals rescued by the ranch, and They have no intention to stop.
"They've saved some of the animals that otherwise would be destroyed,” said Sisneros.
Currently, the ranch is hosting a petting farm for families to visit. It's seven dollars a person and all of the money goes to taking care of the rescued animals.
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
