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The
horses and foals are weak, dehydrated,
terrified and in need of intensive
rehabilitation! Please, will you help
them today? | |
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A few
days ago, we rescued 35 wild horses and foals
from drowning in a flooded river in Alexander
Bay, South Africa. After a dangerous rescue
mission, the horses were safely brought to dry
land, but they are terribly weak and very
hungry. Having spent a week submerged in
water, their hooves have begun to rot - plus they
are starving, dehydrated and
weak.
You know that Network for
Animals will never give up on an animal in its
most desperate time of need. We cannot abandon
these horses! We pledge to do everything in
our power to help them heal from their terrible
ordeal and to be by their side until they are
strong again. Can the horses and their foals count
on your support? | |
In case you missed
the story, here’s what happened…
Just days
ago, heavy flooding along the Orange River
in Namaqualand, South Africa, left 32 horses
and three foals stranded on tiny islands
surrounded by rising waters. As the river
swelled from torrential rains and water levels
rose ever more rapidly, the trapped animals became
increasingly frightened, knowing death by drowning
was approaching. To make the situation even more
heartbreaking, some of the horses were
tethered! We raced into action, driving ten
hours to the remote town of Alexander Bay,
determined to save them all. | |
They faced a
horrific death in a raging flood. We were their
only hope!
We leaped into
ACTION! There was no other
option! | |
To make the
situation even more fraught, the horses are
terrified of humans. Technically, the horses have
owners but they flee from them whenever they can.
If they are captured, they are used, tethered,
beaten and starved - they want nothing to
do with humans.
The horses and foals were
foraging for food near the river when a maelstrom
descended on them. The flood was so sudden and so
fierce, they had no chance of escape.
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| An eleventh-hour
rescue mission was the only chance they
had! | |
We learned about
the situation when the National Sea Rescue
Institutes (NSRI) of South Africa and Namibia put
out URGENT pleas for help. Network for
Animals was the only organization to
respond.
As we always do when
animals are in critical need, we sprang into
action along with our partner, the Have A
Heart Equine Sanctuary (HAHES), experts in horse
rescues and rehabilitation.
After
a long and grueling drive through the desert to
the little town of Alexander Bay on the border of
Namibia and South Africa, our team linked up with
the NSRI experts. Rescue craft were launched
into the roiling water along with NRSI rescue
swimmers and Namibian swimmer volunteers. The plan
was to drive the horses from island to island
until they reached an area where our team could
capture and calm them before swimmers guided them
to safety. Heartbreakingly, the horses are so
petrified of humans that they kept trying to get
away. It took a massive and exhausting effort, but
we finally managed to get them to a safe island
with enough grazing and fresh water to wait out
the flood. Only when the waters subside can we
bring them to shore. | |
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Without the
EMERGENCY RESCUE MISSION funded by NFA (before
we could even reach out to supporters for
help), the horses and their young - starving
and dehydrated - would have been swept away to
their deaths. | |
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Against all odds,
every single one of the 32 horses and three
foals are safe! But they are weak, terrified
and in need of intensive rehabilitation after
their ordeal. | |
NOW, the
hard work really
begins. Our team is working as
hard as it can to treat every horse, but all the
animals need intensive care because they are
starving, terrified and weak. After days of being
stranded, with floodwaters rising and no access to
food or drinkable water, these poor creatures are
broken. Some of their worst injuries
are to their hooves: because they were submerged
in water for a week, their hooves have begun to
rot, making it even harder for them to support the
weight of their exhausted, battered bodies. Vets
are standing by on the mainland, ready to receive
and treat the horses as soon as they
arrive. This is where the horses really need
your help. They need nutritious food, special
supplements, hydration, veterinary care, sedatives
and regular monitoring. Our best estimate is this
care will cost approximately $8,750 (£6,460) for
the first month. We have a plan in place to
get 40 hay bales to the island where the horses
are, but we also need to cover the cost of
transport to get items to the water-logged
region. | |
| That’s why we are
writing to you now. We must do everything
we can to rehabilitate the horses and give them a
second chance at a peaceful life.
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But now we must do
everything we can to rehabilitate the horses and
give them a second chance at a peaceful
life. | |
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For
the animals,
Brian
and Gloria Davies (and Max and
Flora!)
Founders
Network for
Animals | |
P.S.
Imagine escaping from relentless
abuse, thinking you are free in the wilderness,
finally safe from pain, and then being trapped on
an island as floodwaters rise around you.
Imagine how terrified and frantic
you would feel, especially if you were a mother
trying to protect your young. Please, Vladimir,
these horses need our compassion and support! If you possibly can, donate now to
help the horses and foals of Alexander Bay.
They really need you!
P.P.S. because
these horses technically all belong to someone, we
have to prosecute these ‘owners’ for cruelty
before we are allowed to work on finding good
homes for them and giving them lives of peace, and
where death by drowning is not a possibility.
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