A produce truck’s accident on the way to a watermelon festival led to a feast for rescue animals

A group of animals at a Louisiana wildlife rehabilitation center got a sweet surprise from a most unexpected situation. A local farmer donated a bounty of watermelon and cantaloupe after an unfortunate accident on the way to a watermelon festival.

In a post on her Facebook page, wildlife rehabilitation specialist Leslie Greene explained where the truck was going, why it was packed with fruit, and the blessing she and the animals she’s rehabbing received as a result of the accident.

“It’s the Watermelon Festival in Farmerville [LA], unfortunately, this truck had a little mishap,” she wrote in her post. “Lucky for us YAK’s Produce donated these Watermelon & Cantaloupes to the Wildlife Rehab!!! THANK YOU YAK’s!!!”

Greene told People she came up to the accident scene and learned everyone was OK. The road was a mess, but she knew that she could put the crushed fruit to good use at her animal rescue facility. So she asked the owner of Yak’s Produce if she could have the open melons for her animals.

“And the owner is like, ‘If it can go to another cause instead of being discarded, that would be wonderful,” Greene told the magazine.

Not only did the produce company agree to donate the fruit, but it also loaded the melons up and delivered them to River Bandit Rescue, the four-acre animal rehab property where Greene currently boards 42 animals, including beavers, coyotes, goats, skunks and other critters.

It didn’t take long for the animals to enjoy the fruits of their owners and the workers’ labor.

Greene posted an adorable video on TikTok of some of the animals digging into the donations.

In the video, Greene explained that watermelon is a wonderful source of hydration for the animals in the Louisiana summer heat. It’s also packed with lots of vitamins and nutrients to keep them healthy.

“They absolutely love it,” she explained to People. “With it being so hot and humid, it’s the perfect snack.”