Missed cues cost animals' lives

When the Malibu fire broke out, I called Los Angeles County Animal Control to offer the use of my Old Agoura property to evacuate any horses or livestock. I got stuck in a voicemail system that asked me to input my ZIP code, then kept saying that 91301 was an "invalid number."

I eventually punched in Westlake Village's ZIP code (91364) and the recorded answering service said that the nearest shelter for my service area was L.A. city's West Valley shelter in Chatsworth. I could not reach a live person to answer the call no matter how many buttons I pushed.

In frustration, I called L.A. County's fire station 69 located in Agoura Hills and spoke to a very courteous officer who gave me a contact number for the sheriff's department in Malibu.

Later, I saw in a television news report that some goats and other animals perished in the Malibu fire. This is unacceptable. Animals burned to death. Why didn't L.A. County Animal Control coordinate with the fire department to rescue animals? Both Agoura Hills and Malibu contract with L.A. County for animal control services.

I want a report from the director of L.A. County Animal Control, Marcia Mayeda, stating the number of animals rescued during the recent wildfires, the number of animals that perished in wildfires in its jurisdiction, how long or how many days the phone system was not working properly and how many calls from individuals and other agencies were logged requesting services in fire areas or offering resources.

I'm sure I wasn't the only potential volunteer that could have helped L.A. County Animal Control to save lives and spare unfortunate animals from such agonizing deaths. June Slayton Agoura Hills