Dozens of Animals Dead from Fire at Rescue Center

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By Tim Ghianni

NASHVILLE Tenn. (Reuters) - Dozens of animals pulled from a burning Tennessee wildlife rehabilitation center have died and hundreds of the rescued are being treated for smoke inhalation by veterinarians, the head of the organization said on Tuesday.

Firefighters had pulled a dozen dead animals from the flames and about 60 more have died in the day since the early Monday fire at Walden's Puddle non-profit center in suburban Nashville, said Lane Brody, chief executive of Walden's Puddle.

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Veterinarians are using nebulizers to try to save hundreds of the animals that were pulled from the blaze by firefighters, Brody said.

Raccoons, deer, owls, squirrels, raptors, rabbits and other species are among the animals killed, Brody said.

Walden's Puddle takes in orphaned and injured wildlife and prepares them for release back into the wild. It treats about 3,500 animals annually, according to its website.

Admissions are on hold until the end of the week, Brody said. The fire mainly caused smoke damage and the surviving animals were held under cover outside in cages and containers over night.

(Reporting by Tim Ghianni; Editing by Jon Herskovitz and Jim Loney)

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