Vaal flooding leads to animal activists’ rescue by NSRI
A 42-year-old man was rescued on Tuesday amid flooding of the Vaal River after he went missing on Monday.
It’s understood the man went missing while trying to help rescue birds and their eggs from trees on the bank of the river.
The man, part of a team from the South African Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, was on a kayak when it tipped over.
The river, swollen from heavy rainfall, had 4 of the dam wall sluice gates opened at the time.
Spokesperson for the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), Craig Lambinon says a search was carried out along the river banks to as far as Groenpunt Correctional Services.
“During the search, the missing kayak was located wrapped around a tree and damaged and while an NSRI rescue craft searched that area along the river the man was found huddled in a tree that he had climbed to escape the rapids after being swept away when his kayak capsized,” says Lambinon.
“He was rescued from the tree and taken onboard the NSRI rescue craft and brought to the staging area where was reunited with family, colleagues, and friends. He had reportedly remained in the tree throughout the night.”
The man was treated for exhaustion and dehydration.
This as experts are asking for help as they try to rescue a horse that has been stranded on an island in the Vaal River, just outside, Barley-West, since Saturday.
Efforts to reach the animal have been unsuccessful so far due to rising water levels.
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