Durban - Dedicated Amanzimtoti SPCA staff recently rescued a female puppy named Storm who was stuck in a small concrete gap under a bridge in Prospecton for days following the recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal.
Amanzimtoti SPCA manager Tracey Girling, said they received a call last Thursday from a concerned member of the public about a puppy stuck on the SAB bridge in Prospecton.
Girling said it was obvious that the puppy was a victim of the floods and ended up on the bridge.
“With the help of the fire department we could not save the puppy, she kept running away deeper into the confines of the bridge,” she said.
Girling said SPCA employees left food for the puppy and went to the bridge every day to try to get her out until they managed to save her by making a ‘puppy catcher’ with the SPCA’s existing equipment.
“Our inspector Luke and field office Delani worked tirelessly for days to save the poor baby. Just when hope was starting to fade, they managed to catch her.
“Never giving up on any animal in need is what our SPCA work is all about. We have now called this precious girl Storm,” said Girling.
Girling said Storm is on the road to recovery after taking in a lot of water during her ordeal.
“We are just so grateful that Luke and Delani managed to save her,” she said.
Speaking to The Mercury yesterday, Girling said the puppy is currently on medication to treat her lungs, which are full of water.
“Once she has recovered from her ordeal we will vaccinate her. A month later she will have her second vaccinations and will go up for adoption,” she said.
The SPCA appealed to members of the public to please phone their local SPCA’s if their animals are missing.
“Don’t just put it on Facebook, people must check with the SPCA’s. SPCA’s are inundated with strays as a result of the floods,” said Girling.
The Amanzimtoti SPCA premises were also affected by the floods.
Girling said when staff arrived at the SPCA last Tuesday, they found that the flood water had ripped through their offices.
“‘Three of our beautiful yard cats that we had locked up safely in our clinic narrowly escaped drowning. Although all our animals are thankfully okay, just the thought of how frightened they must have been breaks our hearts,” she said.
Girling added that the clean up process had brought to light how much the Amanzimtoti SPCA had lost as a result of the floods.
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