ANIMAL WELFARE CLINICS BATTLE RAIN, FLOODS TO KEEP THEM SAFE, PROTECTED
ANIMALS FIJI CO-FOUNDER AND MANAGING TRUSTEE CASEY QUIMBY SAID THE BIGGEST HURDLES HER TEAM FACED WERE ACCESSING THEIR NADI CLINIC AND THE FLOODING OF THEIR DOG PENS.
The prolonged heavy rain and flooding in March left many vulnerable to the adverse weather conditions and led to the closure of some businesses and services. Animal welfare non-profits that were heavily impacted, however, battled through to provide some emergency services and care for their animals in challenging circumstances.
Animals Fiji co-founder and managing trustee Casey Quimby said the biggest hurdles her team faced were accessing their Nadi clinic and the flooding of their dog pens.
“Nasoso Road was flooded in front of the Grace Road building.
“So our staff, to get to and from work, had to wade across via foot or rely on the kindness of those with large trucks that could drive across.”
The dog pens at the Nadi clinic become flooded “almost annually,” Ms Quimby said.
Due to the flooding a few weeks ago, the animals had to be moved to higher ground, she told Fiji Sun.
Despite the tough conditions, Animals Fiji its operated as normal at all their clinics in Nadi, Lautoka, Savusavu, and Labasa.
“We had two to three staff [at the Nadi clinic] that rotated staying overnight on multiple evenings from 5 pm to 8am to ensure if the water levels increased and our buildings flooded, the 30 or so animals left on site would be able to quickly be evacuated—even if only temporarily to be out of the flood waters.
“Myself and the Shelter Manager live in the Nasoso area and would be able to house the animals that were inside if needed.”
Staff, families to the rescue
With the pens flooded, Animals Fiji fostered seven puppies and 10 cats for a few foster families and staff homes.
It’s also another reason the charity started its “Reforestation Project” to restore the “barren” and flood-prone land it sits on in Nadi.
“When we purchased these two acres of land in 2016, we were told that in the 75 years the family was here, it flooded only a couple of times,” Ms Quimby said.
“Due to climate change, it seems that is increasing, hence our drive to slow climate change as much as possible with our reforestation project as well as precautions to keep the animals, our assets, and our team safe.”
Water crisis
The water cuts caused by damages to Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) pipelines significantly hampered SPCA Fiji Islands’ ability to provide their services, said President Seema Deo. SPCA Fiji announced in an Instagram post on March 27 that some of its services were temporarily put on hold as a result of the water crisis and that it was only going to attend to emergency cases.
Ms Deo said it would’ve been difficult to run as normal without access to water because much of what the clinic does depends on it.
“When toilets do not work, it is usually not advisable to have a full staff at work.
“Maintaining general hygiene without running water is a challenge (e.g. when toilets don’t flush).
“Similarly, surgeries and even consults require access to running water. “We needed to conserve the stored water we had in our tank for washing the shelter and feeding and watering the animals.”
Fortunately, SPCA Fiji were not affected by flooding, Ms Deo said. “Thanks to previous assistance from sponsors and a government grant in 2020/21, SPCA has been able to properly assess and fix its past drainage problems,” she said.
“We have a disaster preparedness plan (which includes the water tank) however, we have realised we do need a second tank.”
Ms Deo said SPCA Fiji was considering sourcing a generator to prepare for power outages in the future.