Producers from New Mexico to Texas and Oklahoma have suffered losses of livestock due to the extreme weather. The intense storm created extreme snowdrifts covering fences allowing cattle to escape and wander free.
As farmers and ranchers search for their cattle to get them back home, some are turning to Facebook for help. As ranchers search for their own cattle, they have been finding other peoples cattle as well. Facebook has given them a place to help everyone get reunited. The public has also been adding posts as they find cattle or see cattle out wandering.
Several pages have been set up to help reunite animals with their owners, including Cattle Lost and Found and Lost/Found Cattle – TX, NM, OK. Ranchers can post information about where their cattle were last seen, and members of the community can respond when they find cattle matching the description.
The site is full of posts from ranchers listing brand and identification information on lost cattle, numbering from a couple to hundreds gone. People are also posting pictures of found livestock, hoping to find their owners.
Some examples of posts:
For more information:
On the run: Cattle raisers seek bovine escapees after snow storm
Ranchers Turn to Facebook, Twitter to Find Cattle Stranded By Blizzard
