Dislikes: Auckland Flood: Lost Pets, Flooded Paddocks, Sanctuaries; Animal rescue teams on site (2023)

Some Aucklanders are mourning the loss of their beloved animal companions after Friday's floods flooded fields and homes, livestock drowned and many pets are still missing.

Alice Hayward of Rodney Animal Rescue told the Herald about the loss of livestock in the floods.

“Many sheep lost their lives in Coatesville and some ponies lost their lives in Kaukapakapa,” he said.

A villager leaving a sheep on a boat for Rodney Animal Rescue. Photo / Alice Hayward

“They brought us a sheep in a boat because our street was flooded, the worst thing that happened.

"Today we are working to make sure all stocks are up," Hayward said.

"The rivers are rising, but I think everyone is prepared as best they can for the next few days."

Real Housewives of Auckland star and New Zealand Cat Foundation President Anne Batley-Burton got drenched at the Kumeu/Huapai based cat sanctuary, The Pussy Palace.

"It was like a lake everywhere," he told the Herald.

“The sidewalk was completely covered with water and the current was very strong. Some of our volunteers who came to help were unable to cross.

“Fortunately, the renter who lives in my cabin out front had a four-wheel drive friend who helped them through. We had a massive stream of trees pile up on the ground covering parts of the sanctuary.

"There was a water leak in the roof... it was awful," said Batley-Burton.

Flooding at NZ Cat Foundation's 'The Pussy Palace' sanctuary. Photo / Anne Batley-Burton

The weekend brought more rain, which meant everyone had to keep sweeping up the water to keep it from flooding.

“Yesterday it rained suddenly and in 10 minutes the water filled my calf muscles. It was like a lake around us, it dissolved overnight," he said.

"It's raining more and more. The cat litter is wet."

The cats are safe, Batley-Burton said, but the whole event was not a good experience for them.

"The poor cats must have been scared running around the sanctuary. We have about 300 cats here and 200 of them are in shelters."

Water collected at the NZ Cat Foundation sanctuary. Photo / Anne Batley-Burton

Desperate for help, Batley-Burton appealed on the foundation's social media page.

“We had eight children and their parents came to work with us. Another lady comes with a pump to take out the remaining water. Children are worried about cats. They help us get the liquid out of the litter box.”

One of his neighbors lost many lambs in the flood, he said.

"It's heartbreaking. I can't imagine how they feel."

North of Auckland, in Kaukapakapa, the Rose Flats Equestrian had seen the worst.

"All the paddocks were completely flooded on Friday, even the ones we don't expect water to get in," Georgia Sheard told the Herald.

"Baleage's pile sank with a full pile of hay, we still have to determine if it was damaged or not."

Flooded track at Rose Flats Equestrian in Kaukapakapa. Photo / Georgia Sheard

The horses were in quite deep water and needed to be moved to a safer location as they were all in a confined space without being able to move much, he said.

“Not much grass for the horses, now they have too much hay. We still don't know if the battery was damaged by water or not.

Sheard said all the fences around the stables looked good but had a lot of debris stuck to them.

“Yesterday there were sediments in the paddocks and they are flooded again because of the rain. We got back to where we were at 7pm. m. Friday night."

Piles of bullets float in the flooded paddock at Rose Flats Equestrian. Photo / Georgia Sheard

Animal Evac NZ volunteer rescue workers were asked by the Department of Basic Industries yesterday to help with the Auckland flood disaster.

They visited the Mangere Community Hub and gave advice to people on how to protect their animals.

Chief Executive Tony Sutorius said Auckland City Council had done a great job helping people with animals where they were needed.

"The small number of Aucklanders using public shelters suggests that people are generally well organized to ensure that they and their pets have alternative housing if needed."

This weekend's flood emergency was a reminder to ensure pet owners have a plan to get their animals and themselves out safely, Sutorius said.

"Our hearts go out to the families who lost loved ones in this event, as well as those who lost animals in the floods.

"It's a timely reminder that people with animals should have a civil emergency plan in place."

Sutorius said that if people suddenly need to leave the house, they strongly recommend taking their pets with them.

“That means having enough transport boxes and trailers to transport all the animals at once, and a pack of feed and medicine ready to pick them up quickly.

"In addition to the humanitarian reasons for keeping animals safe, there is also a practical reason: so people don't go back to a dangerous area to look for them."

Today and tomorrow, the charity is setting up an Animal Care and Welfare Helpdesk at the Mangere Memorial Hall on Mangere Bridge from 8am to 5pm. until 20:00 For people who need advice.

The team can also be contactedonline by whatsapp.

Today, Auckland Zoo took to social media to say that the vast majority of the animals in its care are safe and healthy.

"However, we recovered the bodies of two small birds on Saturday, a zebra finch and a kotare, which appear to have been overwhelmed and soaked by the amount of rain and appear to be the only victims of the storm."

The zoo would be closed to visitors while cleaning and electrical and structural assessments are completed.

Hardest-hit areas were near Motion's Creek, which normally leads to the zoo on its New Zealand route, past the American alligators and Lizard Lane on the South American rainforest route, and exiting the zoo near some bird habitats, they said. .

Auckland Zoo is closed after Friday's flood caused massive flooding up to 1.5m high. Photo/Auckland Zoo

"By Friday afternoon, the water had risen to high levels and our crews made a proactive decision to evacuate some of the wildlife areas near the creek to higher ground. These included Lizard Lane skinks, scheltopusiks and pearl kites, alligators Americans and New Zealand reptiles.

“The creek continued to rise and in the early afternoon overflowed the boundary of the stone wall and caused major flooding in the lower part of the zoo, including most areas where the creek flows (as noted above). In some places it reached 1.5 meters.”

Damage to these lower areas was significant due to the high level, volume and rapid flow of the water, the zoo said.

“Furniture such as picnic benches and trash cans were moved, buildings were flooded, and pet food, equipment and office supplies were lost.

“Vital supplies of hay were also lost and we are grateful to our suppliers for helping us to replenish supplies and ensure our species of ungulates have adequate food for the coming weeks.

“As you can imagine, this cleanup will take several days, and until structural and electrical assessments are complete, we will not be able to open to visitors. Please check our website and social media channels to find out when the zoo can reopen.”

Auckland Zoo was covered in water after Motion's Creek overflowed its banks. Photo/Auckland Zoo

Paul Treneary, resident of Taupaki Rd and owner of Doctor Dog, has said this previouslyHeroldHe and others had to rescue cows after the creek turned into a river on Friday night.

"Our house is flooded. The tree house has been completely destroyed.

“Neighbors told us cows were drowning just a kilometer from our house.

"So myself and a bunch of other people went to help them because people in our community are willing to put themselves on the line and help everyone's lives.

“The officers told us that firefighters were not allowed there. Then the cows would have to run out. And we wouldn't have that. I am a former lifeguard and appreciate everything in life.

“There were 15 people from the community there to help the animals. And we crossed the tide with ropes, so the cows swam about 100 meters out of the river and we saved three of them.”

Taupaki villagers jump into flooded river to save drowning cows. Photo / Angela Singh

Treneary said the flood was unlike anything he had seen before: all the sewer valves overflowed.

"The Council should be better prepared."

Treneary has distributed free dog food to over 40 rescue and evacuation centers from her pet store.

“There are people living in shelters and garages who lost everything, didn't have time to buy food or money to pay. We are in a community where we help each other and care for animals. I do my part.

“Some have lost their dogs and in situations like this the dogs hide, they don't always come out. So we are trying to find pets that may be lost in our area by calling them.”

a group on FacebookPets lost in Auckland floodswas created to reunite owners with lost animals.

MPI deployed additional rescuers to animal welfare operations in Auckland.

One of them, HUHA NZ, is based in Warkworth and ensures that all cattle are moved to higher ground.

Animal rescuer Carolyn Press-McKenzie told the Herald that the situation looked grim when the team arrived on Saturday, but many rescuers in the area and the county council were well prepared.

Last night the charity received a call from a farm owner in Kaipara Flats who lost nine sheep on Friday and was concerned about the safety of the remaining cattle.

“We moved the remaining four cows and two sheep to a sanctuary in Warkworth. The owner called me today to inform me that the paddock was flooded.

"A lady also called this morning because her blind dog was missing, a team of people are helping her locate the dog."

Press-McKenzie said she wanted all pet owners to know that help is available through Civil Protection on 0800 22 22 00 or through local emergency services.

“We want people to know that there is help for them, they can call Civil Protection and get in touch with the MPI or call us.

“We also have donations of animals that we leave in evacuation centers.

“People don't have to feel bad about asking for help, be it food, shelter, transport or shelter, because there are teams standing by to help them. There is also a community-built animal shelter in Wiri.”

SPCA Executive Director Gabby Clezy said they are in close contact with the MPI, which is coordinating the emergency response to animal movements in these situations.

“If you have to evacuate, you will have to take your pets with you. Remember, if it's not safe for you, it won't be safe for them. Our Auckland Centers and Op Shops are closed to the public until further notice, with our inspectors only responding to urgent health issues; However, we remain close to the situation and try to provide assistance where we can during and after this emergency.

“People who need emergency shelter for their pets should contact the MPI on 0800 00 83 33”.