A Cougar Ate My Hard Work

Because of the amount GFM is taking (over $50 at this point) I have alternative ways to donate! Checks can be made out to Jacy Wasoski PayPal: [email redacted] Mailing address: Jacy Wasoski P.O. Box 176 Bly,OR 97622 Drop off location: Ediblearth Farm Store in Klamath Falls, OR. Thursday - Saturday from 11-5pm. There’s losing family and there’s losing pets. These guys were both and so much more. Anyone who knows me knew how much sweat, tears, and time I put into my wonderful herd over the past 5 years. I was in 4-H and FFA for 7 years. They were my main source of money for college and were my main source of stress relief. My girls always made me feel better when I’d go out there upset or sad. I loved them more then anything in the world. One I had raised from being a baby to being pregnant with her own babies When kidding came around, I did everything in my power to help kids. I’d wake up and check on them all night, I’d bring a kid inside and sleep with it if needed. These guys were my everything. I milked and made cheese all summer to save for college. All of my goats were ADGA registered as well and I was on the course to begin showing and doing performance programs. In the super early morning of February 21st, 2020, a cougar entered our front yard and completely devastated my whole herd. We believe it was multiple cougars that jumped over a 7+ ft fence to get to my three does and buck. None survived and were dead by the time we got there. Only one had been slightly eaten on. My whole family, me especially, are devastated. Three of my does were pregnant and some babies had already been claimed by people who wanted them when they were born in April. This wasn’t something we expected. We had the fencing completely dog proof and was 7+ ft high. We live in a rural community where we never expected cougars to walk across and through town. My emotional loss is bigger then anyone can ever pay for... Me and my family made a decision to put up a go fund me to try and rebuild the herd I had to continue supporting me in college. I have one doe left who was being housed at a close friends house for the course of her pregnancy. I want to bring her home eventually once it is safe but I can’t bring her home alone. Because these guys were my responsibility, I paid the bills and got the profit. My parents don’t make enough to claim them as losses to get money from the taxes and we don’t have homeowners insurance to try to cover that loss as well. Some financial information so you understand the amount on my need. The current herd I had were all registered with some very nice milk lines. The cost to replace the goats I had alone would be $2000. Three were pregnant with two babies already being claimed by people wanting them. The cost of my loss for babies that would be born in April is $2000. That puts my loss at right around $4000. To rebuild my herd, it’s going to cost about the same amount to rebuy the same quality animals that I had. Possibly more. Again, my emotional losses will never be paid for but having my business back again and being able to continue selling cheese and raising baby goats and raising money for college is next up on importance’s. I will miss the smile on my families faces in April when kids are born but I have to start somewhere. Thank you for reading, I know this was a long post. I’m sorry. Our current plans our to tear down all of my housing and fencing and relocate it all to a separate property with dogs and more protection. Never in a million years did we expect this to be something that could happened.