Stranded livestock rescued from WA floodwaters with dinghy and jet ski
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From swimming cattle across creeks to using jet skis to tow dinghies loaded with sheep, Western Australian farmers are taking extreme measures to save their livestock from drowning.
Following the week's flood events that saw downpours totalling up to 300 millimetres, livestock across the lower Wheatbelt have been left stranded in paddocks without feed and unreachable via land.
In the Shire of Lake Grace, farmers have been looking to save their livestock in any way possible.
About 200 kilometres east of Narrogin in the Great Southern, members of the Newdegate community spent six hours transporting farmer Ross Grant's sheep across the river in a dinghy towed by a jet ski, 15 sheep at a time.
Mr Grant said he was overwhelmed by the community spirit shown by those who helped him rescue his flock.
"They didn't take any convincing at all, they were just so incredible. I've got to hand it out to them because they just did such a job," he said.
"And they worked tirelessly I can tell you — putting them into the boat and then taking them out about 500 metres to the shore of the lake, and then back they go again.
"They nearly tipped the boat over a couple of times, and of course these young blokes think it's a hell of a joke, they think it's good fun."
The inventive sheep rescue began after Mr Grant noticed 200 of his sheep were stranded on an island on the edge of an overflowing lake on his property.
Dinghy only way to save sheep
Mr Grant said they initially tried walking the sheep through the water, but the animals would not budge.
It was then that his son Regan called in a crew to help.
To herd the sheep, the group made makeshift yards out of floating timber and dead trees lying on the property.
Mr Grant said there were times where the recuse seemed ambitious.
"There was a little bit [of water] pooling in on the sides so they had to bail," he said.
"We found a bucket so they had to bail continuously, because when you put the sheep in, the water from their wool drains out.
"You had to hope [the driver of the jet ski] didn't throw the guys out of the dinghy, because he nearly did once but they were having a hell of a time, the young blokes, they're good fun."
Farmer swims to save cattle
The unique sheep rescue was not the only effort put in to save livestock from drowning.
Dunn Rock farmer Doug Giles said he had spent the last few days swimming out to save his cattle, who were up to their necks in water.
He said it had been exhausting, but it had to be done and was no easy feat.
"At the end of the day, you sit here and you watch them drown or you give it a go yourself, and that's what we did," he said.
"I swam across probably 100 metres of water with 30-year-old boogie board and then walked right round, about 3.5 kilometres, and came in above the cattle that I could see.
"The gate was underwater, totally underwater, so I could walk until then but was armpit height. I know I'm short but it was still pretty deep."
He said he was then able to assist the cattle to higher ground.
"The cows were just holding their heads above water," he said.
"There were meant to be calves there but there was only one left alive and he actually had his front legs and his head up on his mum.
"That's the only way that heifer survived."
But the rescue did not end there.
When water engulfed the "higher ground", Mr Giles had to do it all over again on Tuesday but luckily, by that point his friend with a kayak had offered to help.
Mr Giles said he was not too concerned about his own safety.
"I knew the depth [and] the water wasn't actually flowing a strong current when I went across," he said.
"I did have a backpack on with all my clothes and a two-way [radio] and everything, and that worked as a buoyance vest for me."
The WA Government's Office of Emergency Management and the Australian Government's Attorney General's Department have advised that flooding in large parts of the state have been declared eligible disasters under the Western Australia Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements.
Topics: disasters-and-accidents, livestock-welfare, livestock, rural, community-and-society, newdegate-6355, wa
