Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) usually focuses on the rescue and recovery of human victims. As the Wellington SPCA Animal Rescue Unit recently demonstrated in Christchurch, following the 22 February 2011 6.3 earthquake, animal welfare also needs to be part of emergency response.
The team travelled to Christchurch on Sunday 27 February and returned to Wellington on Thursday 10 March. The eight team members had 10 operational days performing tasks which included:
- Rescuing animals confined within buildings that owners were unable to return to due to damage and/or cordons.
- Assisting rescue teams with animal management while they completed the search of every building in the CBD area (e.g. control the family rottweiler while rescue teams searched a house)
- Establish and maintaining feeding stations for animals within cordoned zones
The crew members deployed to Christchurch were highly trained in technical rescue, animal skills and have a range of USAR qualifications.
The team dealt with a wide variety of animals ranging from domestic pets such as cats, dogs and rabbits to farm animals such as chickens, goats, and pigs. The team also recovered a number of fish which had managed to survive in commercial buildings within the CBD.
The team worked in a number of heavily damaged buildings, sometimes along side an international or one of New Zealand’s task force teams. Working in these environments is dangerous but the training that the team has, and the protective equipment used helped keep the team as safe as possible.
The team not only worked within the heavily cordoned Christchurch CBD but also completed tasks in other evacuated areas of the city including Sumner, Lyttleton, and made regular visits to small farms on the Bridal Path Road area.
The Royal NZ Air Force Museum was the accommodation base for the team. It was not damaged by the earthquake and had hot showers, toilets and a large room that they team camped out in. The museum staff were fantastic hosts and really made the ARU feel welcome.
The team feel a real sense of pride at the work that they completed in such trying and stressful circumstances. They were also impressed by the attitude displayed by other rescue team members, and emergency management staff. The ARU were warmly welcomed by these groups and there was not one occurrence of ‘its just an animal’.
The only disappointing note to be made was that none of the animals that ARU had contact with were microchipped. This simple, inexpensive method would have made reuniting animals with owners so much easier.
For more information about preparing to look after your animals in emergencies, please click here.
To view more images of the ARU deployment to Christchurch, please click here.
