In the 2011 Brisbane floods RSPCA QLD felt the devastation first hand with the loss of its Fairfield shelter and the evacuation of hundreds of animals.
“The water came up so quickly. I remember going homed in the evening and the water wasn’t even near the horse paddocks. By three in the morning it had flooded the paddocks and was bearing down on the kennels,” said RSPCA Qld spoke person Michael Beatty.. “All of a sudden we had three hundred odd animals that had to be evacuated. It was madness.”
After an emergency call out for foster carers, hundreds came to Fairfield to help with the evacuation and take the animals into foster.
“The response from the public was unbelievable and I still talk to people who ended up adopting the animals they fostered.”
But RSPCA staff and volunteers were still needed in the community. Scores of domestic animals and wildlife were rescued and staff and volunteers helped manage animals in evacuation centres, not just in Brisbane, but in the regions as well.
“The floods affected our wildlife and domestic pets on a scale of destruction rarely seen, but we continued to be there to provide disaster relief to all creatures great and small. But we couldn't have done it alone.”
