Call for animal owners to be prepared for fire

The increasing fire risk in Nelson Tasman during the El Niño summer means animal owners need to be prepared, a government animal welfare coordinator says.

Wayne Ricketts, who works for the Ministry for Primary Industries, said the region was starting to dry out again and with that came the risk of fire spread by northwest winds.

As of Thursday, fire indices for Nelson / Marlborough were listed as “extreme” for scrub fires over most of the region.

According to Niwa’s Hot Spot watch, also released on Thursday, the New Zealand Drought Index (NZDI) map showed abnormally dry conditions in parts of Tasman, Nelson, and Marlborough.

“Saving animal lives saves human lives,” said Ricketts, who started in his role seven years ago.

At that time, the phenomenon of owners refusing to evacuate without their animals was known overseas, but wasn’t common in New Zealand.

Now that was “routinely” seen on our shores as well. During 2019’s devastating Pigeon Valley fires, near Nelson, the ministry was aware of lifestyle block owners going back to check on their animals under the cover of darkness. But fires could suddenly flare up, leaving them trapped, and putting their lives at risk, he said.

In 2019, about 1000 animals were housed at Richmond Showgrounds, but that was an arrangement MPI found logistically challenging, in part because of complexities such as the unknown vaccination and disease statuses of the animals.

Their placement might also depend on whether elderly people, children, or people who didn’t like animals were accommodated nearby.

Ricketts covers the regions of Nelson, Tasman, Marlborough, the West Coast and North Canterbury, and is looking to set up local groups of people with skills looking after animals to assume control in emergencies.

Emergency preparedness for owners of animals can be incredibly complex. A grab bag, Ricketts said, should have a supply of food for three days, water, a water bowl, copies of vaccination certificates, and a means of identification such as a photo.

“What we’re encouraging communities to do is to have their own plan, because they will likely be on their own,” he said.