Brooke USA Responds to Crisis: Lifesaving Aid for Working Equines in Northern Colombia Flood Zones
Photo by Yen.com.gh.
Floodwaters in northern Colombia are rising — and working horses, mules, and donkeys are trapped.
Torrential rains and historic flooding have turned large parts of northern Colombia into vast, waterlogged disaster zones — and thousands of working horses, donkeys, and mules are fighting to survive.
Brooke USA Foundation has launched urgent disaster relief efforts and is calling on the public to help. To provide immediate support for working equines and families who depend on them, donations can be made now.
Brooke USA is funding the on-the-groundwork of Fundación Arrieros Colombia to deliver emergency veterinary care, life-saving treatment, feed, and critical supplies for affected horses, donkeys, and mules.
The Government of Colombia declared a national emergency after relentless rains triggered more than 130 emergencies across 181 municipalities. Floodwaters have destroyed nearly 5,000 homes, displaced hundreds of thousands of people, and claimed 18 lives. In the northern department of Córdoba — a major agricultural and cattle-raising region — farmland and rural infrastructure remain submerged. Authorities reported that more than 5,500 animals were affected, including horses, donkeys, and mules with livestock losses continuing to rise.
For working equines, the suffering is acute and often unseen.
Due to the generosity of long-time Brooke USA supporter, Allison Burgess, the first $2,500 raised for this disaster relief will be matched dollar-for-dollar.
Many animals have been trapped for days in flooded pastures and collapsing barns, standing in contaminated water with no dry ground to rest. Swift currents threaten to sweep them away. Hidden debris — fencing wire, broken wood, and sharp metal — lurks beneath murky waters, causing deep lacerations and limb injuries. Contaminated floodwaters expose animals to infection, toxic substances, and waterborne disease. With feed supplies destroyed and grazing land submerged, dehydration and starvation are becoming imminent threats.
Some animals have been separated from their owners as fences washed away and frightened equines fled rising waters. Others endure prolonged stress and trauma that can leave lasting physical and behavioral scars.
In northern Colombia, working equines are not a luxury — they are a lifeline. Horses, donkeys, and mules plow fields, carry crops, transport goods, and connect remote communities to markets. Many affected families are arrieros — traditional horse handlers who rely on their animals to move agricultural products across mountainous and rural terrain. An arriero is more than a livestock owner; he or she is part of a cultural and economic tradition that depends entirely on the strength and health of their animals.
When a working equine is injured, lost, or too weak to work, a family’s income can disappear overnight.
“Disasters like this devastate entire communities, but working equines often suffer silently,” said Julia Wilson DVM, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Brooke USA. “These animals are enduring exhaustion, injury, hunger, and fear — and their survival is directly tied to their families’ ability to recover. We must act quickly.”
Brooke USA raises funds to assist areas devastated by natural or manmade disasters where working equines play a vital role in supporting their owners — before and after tragedy strikes. The organization has previously provided financial assistance during catastrophic floods in Pakistan, the earthquake in Morocco, the wildfires in Texas and California, and most recently Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean.
Through Brooke USA’s financial support, Fundación Arrieros Colombia will provide urgently needed veterinary treatment, distribute feed and clean water, and support equine-owning families struggling in the aftermath of the floods.
As heavy rains persist across northern Colombia, the need remains critical — and immediate action can help save lives.
You Can Be the Lifeline They Need
This is a critical moment. Working equines are suffering — and families who depend on them cannot recover without your support.