Helping You Help Animals (HUHA) on an Australian rescue mission

An orphaned wombat. Photo / HUHA

An animal welfare organisation which has a shelter in Ōtaki, north of Wellington, has been helping save and treat animals caught up in the Australian bushfires.

A few weeks ago Helping You Help Animals (HUHA) sent over a team to Australia comprising a vet, two nurses, two builders, two labourers and a chef.

Under the direction of the New South Wales Wildlife Council their first posting was at Wandandian where there was a kangaroo sanctuary.

A veterinary triage centre, which is still operating, was built to help many kangaroos that had burns. There was a lot of bandage work.

"The community started finding kangaroos," HUHA founder Carolyn Press-McKenzie said.
"They had the fire go through two weeks prior.

"The run of thumb is it's usually two weeks after a fire when the animals start to emerge.

"Some of them are terribly injured, some not too bad, and obviously ones that are ready to die.

"We got inundated mainly with kangaroos coming in."

Huha vet Sarah Barry with one of her burns patients in Wandandian. Photo / Huha

Huha hired a dart operator so kangaroos could be tranquilised to be assessed.

"If we could rehabilitate them we would bring them back to the triage centre. In other cases the animals was put down."

Operating in a community that was already traumatised was sensitive.

"A lot of people were very attached to the wildlife and had been feeding them on their property for years.

"So we spent a lot of time with people and helping them be part of the decision making so they could understand the process."

A sword spread about Huha's involvement, they were called to another area nearby, where building work was required.

Two people had stayed to defend their home but got severely burned.

"They were wildlife carers and had a wombat sanctuary.

"Our mission was to help the people who cared for the animals so we rebuilt that enclosure and cleaned up around the property.

"It was very emotional, especially knowing that not only had animals been hurt but so had people.

"The family of the people who were injured really appreciated the Kiwi can-do attitude."

And HUHA, which tried to be self sufficient, got a call to go to Cooma, just out of Canberra, as an aircraft had crashed into a koala sanctuary / hospital.

A dehydrated koala receiving care at Huha's Cooma triage centre. Photo / HUHA

Three America firefighters on the water bomber plane died, and a large number of koalas were killed.

"Search and rescue was taking place for koalas but a triage centre was needed to bring them to."

Carolyn said the society was happy to help out in Australia's time of need.

"The big thing we've done as Kiwis is just forge ahead for everybody."