Animal rescuer proud of flood work
As the bridges began to break and water flooded farms in Canterbury, amarton man leapt into action.
Mark Anderson knew the red alert issued by Metservice for the Canterbury region on Friday, May 28, would cause havoc for farmers whose stock was in jeopardy.
Anderson, chief executive of Animal Evac NZ, immediately rallied the troops, putting out a call for help to almost 300 volunteers across the country to lend a hand to the rural community who were about to battle the downpour.
Fourteen people in two crews, consisting of vets, swift water rescuers, paramedics, farmers and animal control professionals touched down in Christchurch on May 30, ready to tackle the surge and save farmer’s livelihoods.
Anderson’s day job is with the army at Linton Military Camp. He has worked in New Zealand and overseas in disaster management, helping communities stay strong during the most difficult times.
Based in the Hornby SPCA headquarters, Anderson directed his teams across North Canterbury to assess the risks before launching their rescues.
Due to treacherous waters, the rescuers’ efforts were put off for a day before they could reach animals stuck on higher ground.
For some, their tracks had been washed away, or they were cut off by the waters, Anderson said.
Their first priority was making sure the stock were fed, he said.
‘‘It is not always about bringing animals out of an area, it is about getting safely to them and getting them feed. The biggest risk is what if it is three or four days until we can get to them.’’
Working over four days across at least six farms, Anderson believed his team saved countless animals from being swept away, as well as people. One crew came across a farmer desperate to reach his herd, trying to power through the water on a tractor. But ill prepared, wearing gumboots, a hoodie and jeans, he was putting himself at risk.
The crew convinced him to travel on their boat to his livestock instead, Anderson said.
‘‘What happens if the tractor tips over? You are always aware that things can go wrong and you don’t want to send people into danger.’’
Anderson and his crews left Christchurch on June 3 as water began to recede and recovery efforts started. He was proud of his volunteers and hoped farmers felt a reprieve from the stress as his team worked to save their stock.
‘‘Canterbury is pretty resilient and they are pretty good at planning. The farmers were pretty tired and upset but their spirits were good. It was great to finally put our training and new equipment into action to save lots of animals affected by the floods that otherwise could have died.’’
Since the charity’s inception in 2017, volunteers have helped animals in trouble across the country, including in the Edgecombe floods in 2017, the Nelson fires in 2019 and the Australian bushfires in 2020.