NSRI Wilderness duty crew yesterday assisted in the rescue of a horse trapped on an island on the Hoogekraal River, near to Karatara in the Wilderness.
The horse was missing for two days and the owner, Don Hartig found the horse, Firefly, earlier yesterday, 21 March in deep water, battling to keep its head above water. Firefly must have wandered up river and then tried to swim to safety but ended up in deep water with steep cliffs on either side of the river bank and struggling to stay afloat.
Don paddled to the horse using a borrowed canoe and tried desperately the whole of yesterday to keep the Firefly’s head above water while trying to coax it to either swim down river to a safe landing or to climb onto a small island in the river. Eventually the horse managed to climb onto the small island but collapsed from exhaustion and stress, although it was physically uninjured.
The local vet, Dr Rolf Lambrecht, of the Knysna Veterinary Clinic was summoned and Don ferried him to the island in the canoe. The vet sedated Firefly and the pair stayed with the horse. But they then became marooned on the small island with Don’s wife Carien who was also ferried to the island to assist. The light was fading and there were steep cliffs on either side of the river where they were 1 km upstream of the low water bridge.
Concerned friends and neighbours called NSRI Wilderness with a plea for help.
Garth Dominy, NSRI Wilderness duty coxswain, said that at 6.10 pm yesterday the NSRI Wilderness volunteer sea rescue duty crew responded and towed the NSRI Sea Rescue craft Serendipity and Die Swart Tobie with full-scale swift water rescue kit and a night kit (which includes donated head lamps and torches). At the low water bridge the NSRI was well received by the friends and neighbours and a briefing was held to determine the best course of action.
“It was decided to initially send in a reconnaissance team to investigate and the sea rescue boats were launched onto the river,” Dominy said. “By coincidence one of our NSRI Wilderness volunteers, Dr Torsten Henschell, is also a retired vet and another one of our NSRI Wilderness volunteers, Jacques de Bruyn, is an ex SA Defense Force Equestrian Unit officer, so these two volunteers were sent in on the initial ‘recce’.
“We also had with us an SA National Parks ranger, the manager of Wilderness National Parks, Jonathan Britten, who knows the area well to accompany us. On arrival at the small island overgrown with vegetation, we found the owners and the vet in good spirits but exhausted. The 10 year-old mare, Firefly, was perched precariously close to the river. She remained collapsed but appeared to be regaining strength.”
A decision was then made to ferry Carien and the vet back to the low water bridge. The vet had another emergency call out to attend to and Carien and the remaining sea rescue crew put together a provisions pack. The plan was for her and Don to stay on the island with the horse overnight. Blankets were also packed the cold night ahead, for themselves and for the horse. Hay was packed and the NSRI crew carefully checked the pack, adding an NSRI torch and additional emergency space blankets, and friends and neighbors added flasks of hot coffee and rusks.
The risk and safety of the situation was carefully assessed with the major concern revolving around the possibility of the horse getting up in the night in a confined space surrounded by deep water and with two people in close proximity. Fortunately Firefly managed to get up unassisted and remained calm with Don kindly speaking to her while holding her reins. This made the decision easier for them to rather remain there for the night.
“The final trip by rescue boat, Serendipity, left Carien and Don with Firefly, who was now munching away happily and calmly at her hay. The couple’s cellphones were charged and they had the required emergency phone numbers including the direct Sea Rescue emergency phone number on speed dial. The NSRI volunteer sea rescue duty crew returned to base at 210 pm last night.
Early today Don and Carien reported that Firefly regained more strength during the night. This morning there was a shallow sand bar adjacent to the island and the couple were able to walk Firefly through less deep water and then a path was cut through undergrowth to walk the horse up to the pass and to safety.
Firefly is now safely at home and is grazing.
St Francis Chronicle 