The Council Who Would Not Rescue A Kitten

[Bug]

Disgraceful that Ballarat City Council spent $100,000 on legal fees to try and kill a dog they considered to be a restricted breed but they do not have the resources to rescue a kitten. Surely they could have hired a cherry picker!

Ballarat Courier 7th September 2012

IT WAS all hands on deck this week during a mission to save a tiny kitten stuck 10 metres up a tree in a Ballarat park.

A group of walkers banded together in the three-day effort to save the kitten that was stuck in a tree in Victoria Park.

The Ballarat residents spotted the black and white cat up the pine tree in the middle of the park on Monday. Passersby made several attempts to bring the feline down – including tempting it with food – but the cat could not be coaxed down.

Calls for help to animal rescue, the Ballarat City Council and the RSPCA Ballarat were unsuccessful when they were told no resources were available to help.

In the end, members of the Ballarat City Fire Brigade came to the rescue.

Ballarat City senior station officer Mark Owen said when animals are stuck up so high, firefighters’ resources were the only option.

“When we got the call of course we headed out in the truck to help out,” Mr Owen said.

“It was an opportunity for a quick training exercise and the Bronto ladder platform was used to rescue the poor cat from the tree.”

Firefighter Patrick Shawcross was the one of the two firefighters who headed up in a cage to retrieve the cat.

“It cat had crawled into the tree and was at least 10 metres off the ground,” Mr Owen said.

“The poor thing was shaking like a leaf when it came it down.”

Unfortunately, the cat wasn’t microchipped and was taken to a shelter soon after.

Mr Owen said animal rescues weren’t in the firefighters’ job description, but they were always happy to help out.

“For some reason or another, (the cat) didn’t want to come down, but I’m glad it is in safe hands now.”

[minimax]

When we got the call of course we headed out in the truck to help out, Mr Owen said.

"It was an opportunity for a quick training exercise and the Bronto ladder platform was used to rescue the poor cat from the tree."

Love that attitude

But totally absurd that the fire brigade has to be called and the group who is supposedly working for "all creatures, great and small" couldn't find a resource to help a creature stuck up a tree!

Edited September 6, 2012 by minimax

[Kirislin]

so was it a cat or a kitten I wonder. Kitten sounds cuter. I hope it finds a home anyway.

[Kavik]

Yep Fire Brigade would be your best bet there - they have the proper equipment. When I worked at WIRES this is who we would call for animals in trouble that were high up in trees etc. We didn't have the equipment to go high and our insurance did not cover volunteers going up high on ladders for rescues.

[Little Gifts]

Obviously they weren't filming the RSPCA Ballarat or no expense would've been spared getting that poor kitty down!

Now don't laugh, but one night we had a mouse hanging half out of a hole at the back of our upright gas stove. We discovered it when we went to make dinner. It was clearly stuck and we couldn't just make dinner with it hanging there! We got laughed at by the RSPCA people when we rang for help. From memory it was a wildlife rescue guy who advised us to wrap a teatowel around it and get as much of it in our hands as possible and wriggle/pull on it. Out it came in one piece thank goodness! We had takeaway that night though.

[Salukifan]

Ballarat City senior station officer Mark Owen said when animals are stuck up so high, firefighters' resources were the only option.

Did folk miss this bit? It's not WOULD not rescue, it's COULD not rescue.

You either have the equipment and the skills and experience to work at that sort of height or you don't. Council doesn't fund the fire brigade.

I'm all for sheeting responsibility home.. but not in this case. Emergency services are funded by the state, not local councils. They weren't the bad guys here.

Fire brigade would have been the first people I called.I fail to see the point in duplicating expensive equipment when one service was able to assist.

Edited September 7, 2012 by Haredown Whippets

[sandgrubber]

If people would keep their damn cats indoors, incidents like this wouldn't happen. I don't endorse spending on condemning a dog who has the wrong look, but I fully sympathize with letting the fire department -- who have the tools and often have nothing to do -- do the job. I don't know how high up the cat was, but the appropriate cherry picker would probably be a couple hundred dollars and hour, including transit time. Rescue organizations have enough to do without being responsible for getting animals out of trees. Let the owners pay it!

Edited September 7, 2012 by sandgrubber

[Kavik]

From the Fire Brigade website:

http://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=549

Each year the NSW Fire Brigades (NSWFB) carries out hundreds of animal rescues. The Royal Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) relies heavily on the NSWFB and other emergency services to rescue animals from chimneys, stormwater drains, swamps, trees and inside walls.

Our specialised rescue equipment such as wall cutters, aerial platforms and extra-long extension ladders, combined with our horse-lifting slings, reptile-handling kits, and thermal imaging and search cameras, assists greatly in animal rescues.

[Jumabaar]

From the Fire Brigade website:

http://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=549

Each year the NSW Fire Brigades (NSWFB) carries out hundreds of animal rescues. The Royal Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) relies heavily on the NSWFB and other emergency services to rescue animals from chimneys, stormwater drains, swamps, trees and inside walls.

Our specialised rescue equipment such as wall cutters, aerial platforms and extra-long extension ladders, combined with our horse-lifting slings, reptile-handling kits, and thermal imaging and search cameras, assists greatly in animal rescues.

They are now also doing large animal rescue training for both the rescue crews AND the vets!! Much safer than DIY rescues (and free here in NSW so joe blow doesnt end up needing rescue as well as the animal) with better outcomes for the animals.

[minimax]

They are now also doing large animal rescue training for both the rescue crews AND the vets!! Much safer than DIY rescues (and free here in NSW so joe blow doesnt end up needing rescue as well as the animal) with better outcomes for the animals.

They will also come and rescue you from big scary spiders if you call them in tears

[Rebanne]

Fire brigade wouldn't come and get my cat 30 years ago when it was stuck up a tree. He was there 3 days before an intrepid volunteer climbed up and got him. It was a long way up, easily as high as a second story roof.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

In the UK if your cat gets stuck up a tree you always call the fire brigade. Just as if you find a loose dog, you can take it to the nearest police station ...

[Silvawilow]

Ballarat City senior station officer Mark Owen said when animals are stuck up so high, firefighters' resources were the only option.

Did folk miss this bit? It's not WOULD not rescue, it's COULD not rescue.

You either have the equipment and the skills and experience to work at that sort of height or you don't. Council doesn't fund the fire brigade.

I'm all for sheeting responsibility home.. but not in this case. Emergency services are funded by the state, not local councils. They weren't the bad guys here.

Fire brigade would have been the first people I called.I fail to see the point in duplicating expensive equipment when one service was able to assist.

And lord knows the HSE issues if council had to go out and if or not their workers had the correct training. Bet there would have been more screaming and carry on if a worker had gotten injured because they did not have the suitable qualifications :)