This letter is to address an article that was published on Sunday, March 21, about two horses that were attacked by bees.

Let me start off by correcting the article; Brandy, the older mare, died three houses down from my mother-in-law’s home and Starla, the younger mare died at the house in her pen.

“I would also like this opportunity to correct a quote; my actual statement was, “Why is there not a policy in place and how is it going to get fixed.”

I would also like to point out that 911 was called four times that morning to try and get assistance to help keep our mares. It was about 40 minutes or more before any assistance arrived.

I spoke to Commissioner Roy Cantu on Wednesday, March 17, because a phone call was also made to his foreman, Abel Maldonado, to help in the situation. I spoke to Mr. Maldonado, and after a brief conversation he directed me to the commissioner. I contacted Mr. Cantu and told him the situation and told him that I was simply trying to understand why there was such a lack of effort in assistance.

“He then told me that he knew what had happened, and that he had gone by my mother-in-law’s, but he did not get out of his vehicle because bees were still swarming.

Well, Mr. Cantu, the bees were not swarming all night. In fact, I was at my mother-in-law’s until after 9 p.m. because we were burying our mares, two members of our family.

In fact, I had not heard from Mr. Cantu until Wednesday, when I contacted him. Mr. Cantu did not seem like he wanted to engage me in the conversation. When I asked him questions he was defensive and actually had the audacity to tell me, “You want to know why your horses died, they died because they were attacked by bees.”

I then responded, “I don’t need you to tell why they died, I know exactly why they died; what I don’t understand is why there was a lack of assistance.”

I then plainly told Mr. Cantu that I was not out for money or anything else; I knew exactly how much each mare cost and how much they were worth. I told him my call was simply to understand why there was a lack of effort and what was going to be done to make sure that it never happened again.

Mr. Cantu informed me that the communication system at the Sheriff’s department “was down” and it took longer to contact emergency personnel and that there was not a paging code for bees.

Shouldn’t there always be some sort of protocol or procedure in place to help during any situation?

My point is this: I would like the officials to create a clear protocol for accidents and have a defined chain of command when decision-makers are not available, to establish clear communication between departments, and to ensure that every employee knows their respective responsibilities and duties to assist the public in times of need.

Ask for input from the community; seek guidance from other communities and businesses.

I would like to sincerely thank Mr. Danny Ramirez, who rushed over to assist our mares. I would also like to sincerely thank Mr. and Mrs. Fred Ketchum, who called Dr. Underbrink (veterinarian) to assist our mares as well. Both of your efforts mean more than words can describe.

Gloria Saenz Rodriguez