SPCA Abbotsford has opened a file based on Sandy Philpott’s complaint, but is not investigating the incident in which her mother France Pilotte, 75 was injured by a llama in a Langley petting zoo.

“Our mandate is animal cruelty,” explained Marcie Moriarty, general manager cruelty investigations, B.C. SPCA.

“We are not investigating the particular incident, but will inspect the property to see if there are any animal welfare issues,” she said.

The incident unfolded July 28 when Pilotte visited the farm with her daughter and young grandson.

A few minutes after they entered the enclosure, the llama started circling her mother, getting a bit too close, said Philpott.

As the animal followed France Pilotte, 75, it nibbled at her backpack, probably looking for grain she had bought at the Langley farm to feed the animals.

Philpott instinctively reached out for her 18-month-old son and drew him close.

Then she and another witness, Christine Pendleton, said they watched in horror as the llama reared onto its hind legs and pushed Pilotte to the ground.

“She fell on her back, a little sideways on her hips. She never moved after that,” said Pendleton, who was outside the enclosure, watching with three young children as the incident unfolded on July 28.

Philpott said her mother was trampled. “We could hear her bones shatter as she was crushed beneath it,” said Philpott. “I knew that it was very serious.”

Two goats then ran over and tried to stand on top of her mother, Philpott said, and she had to pull at them by the horns to get them away.

Farm owner Alf Krause said this is the first time anyone has been hurt at the petting zoo, which opened three years ago to offer more family experiences at the working farm.

“We’ve never had an issue before, and hopefully we’ll never have one again,” he added. “We’re trying to make a good farming experience and accidents happen, unfortunately.”

He said the animals were following Pilotte because she had grain in her bag. On the way, he said, she got bumped and “just fell down and couldn’t get up.”

“We work hard here to make it a good family time; unfortunately, animals are unpredictable,” he said.

The farm is now prohibiting visitors from entering the pen with food.

As of Thursday, a week after the incident, Pilotte was still in Langley Memorial Hospital.

Her left side was crushed in the incident, and she had more than nine hours of surgery. Plates, metal rods and pins inserted in her shattered right femur, hip, elbow and arm. A separate surgery will be required on her broken knee.

Pendleton said the ambulance took a while arriving, and in the meantime, the farm staff tried their best to help.

“They brought some ice and other things. They also brought an umbrella to shield Pilotte from the sun. But the wait was very long.”

When the ambulance arrived, attendants had to first reset Pilotte’s bones.

“Memories of her screams of absolute pain and agony still haunt me. And we are not certain what the future now holds for her. She is 75 years old,” said Philpott.

Philpott said the RCMP and Abbotsford SPCA was notified of the incident.

B.C. SPCA communications officer Lauryn Hayden said she could not comment on this particular incident, but that in general, people should always use caution while interacting with animals.

Animals are unpredictable. It is important that people be careful and well informed about the animals they are interacting with, she said.

Langley bylaws officials said the property is in the Agricultural Land Reserve, and because Krause is a working farm, it doesn’t require a licence to operate.

Langley Township Mayor Rick Green said the petting zoo is also exempt because it’s merely being used as a way to enhance the country experience, similar to the farm’s horse-drawn country carriage rides.

“To the best of my knowledge, there’s no special requirement because it’s not really billed as a petting zoo ... it’s a berry farm,” Green said. “The people are primarily going there to pick fruit.”

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