More Than 29 Show Animals Were Killed at This Lake Wales School. Here’s What You Can Do to Help.
by James Coulter
After several of their show animals were killed during an attack by stray dogs, this Lake Wales school’s agriculture program is seeking donations from the community to recover and rebuild.
On Thursday morning, Jennifer Williams, the Academic Dean of Agriculture at Bok Academy North in Lake Wales, received a distressing phone call from the school custodian.
She was informed that a pack of dogs had tunneled under the fence and snuck in to kill 29 of the school’s show animals.
The dogs had ripped apart the cages, killed all the baby chicks, and killed all of the show rabbits and chickens. They were about to tear into the goat pen when the custodian chased them off, Williams said.
“They [the dogs] actually broke the wire,” Williams said. “They pulled the wire apart to get into the cages because the cages were secured and locked. So they broke the cages.”
With most of their animals killed and their fencing and cages destroyed, Williams will need to have new fences and cages constructed and reinforced to ensure their new animals will be safe from any potential threats.
Bok Academy North’s chapter of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) was named the premier chapter last year, and they will be named the premier chapter again this year in the state of Florida. They had also enrolled more than 200 entries in this year’s Polk County Youth Fair and went to state for citrus and land judging.
Their chapter has completed nine community service projects, which included collecting more than 1,200 toiletries and other essential items for needy families, raising $1,600 for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) K-9 unit, and performing monthly cleanups along Masterpiece Road, which they adopted to participate in Keep Polk County Beautiful.
Williams is seeking donations from the community. Williams will have a supply list made available to anyone who calls the school. Anyone interested can call the front desk at 863-232-4665.
“We appreciate any help the community can give us because we try to give back to the community when we can,” Williams said.
