Cherished horse, pregnant cow airlifted to safety from flooded Nicola River farms

A small menagerie of marooned animals including a horse and a pregnant cow were rescued in recent days from flooded farms on the NicolaRiver west of Kamloops,B.C., using a helicopter,a specialized livestock harness and a wholelot of ingenuity.

Kim Cardinal says it was a desperate situation when her two horses and mule became trapped on a stretch of pavement near the community ofSpences Bridge followingtorrential rains that ultimately swept her home into theraging NicolaRiver last Monday.

Cardinal says she can still hearthe sounds of smashing boulders and glass as her housewas destroyed by the power of the waters.

She and her partner Lorne Cardinal were airlifted to safety after aB.C. Hydro crew spotted smoke from a campfire theyhad litafter their house was destroyed. But their animals remained trapped by flooded roads.

"The horse Winter saved my life. I just couldn't bear the thought of him there, dying after that," said Cardinal.

She said the horse began acting spooked and almost "dancing" as the waters rose. It alerted her and Lorne to the danger and they got out just in time, she said.

But the rushing water made it impossible to get Winter, along witha mini-horsenamed Spicey and mule named Moxy, to safety.

Kelly Kennedy says she got a call last Thursday from RCMP livestock officerCpl. Cory Lepine about the dire situation.

"I was thinking about it and I was like, why can't we just airlift them out?" said Kennedy, a director with the Horse Council of B.C. who also runs Sageview Rescue Centre in Kamloops.

Over the next three days she orchestrated the rescue.

She hiredSummit Helicopterswith funds from theB.C. Horse Counciland had a specialsling shipped from the Fraser Valleyto Kamloops.

Aldergrove veterinarian Dr. David Patonowns thedevice,known as anAnderson Sling, that protects large animals when they are lifted off the ground which is both difficult and dangerous.

WATCH | Winter the horse is airlifted to safety:

Horse lifted to safety from flooded farm near Spences Bridge, B.C.

3 years ago

Duration 0:28

A special sling designed to carry large animals was sent to the Kamloops area last week to help rescue farm animals trapped by rising waters.

The contraption allows this to be done usually for urgenttransport with little risk to the animal. Paton recommended using the sling in this rescue, which he called a "perfect" example of itsusefulness, given there was no other way to get the animals out of their spot.

Paton said despite the fact that horses do not generally fly,they handle being moved in a sling quite well.

"Horses are amazingly calm and quiet, they may need a mild sedation kind of a little bit of an exciting ride for sure. Once they are airborne they're not struggling or thrashing," he said.

Patonsays there is only one Anderson Sling in the province and this type ofrescue was a first in B.C.

At the beginning of the operation, Kennedy met the pilot Aaron Toombs near Spences Bridge and they flew over the muddy, angry riverto the rescue site. The harness took so long to fasten on Winter that the tranquilizer used to keep the horse calmwore off.

"That horse was wide awake. He stayed quiet through the air but when it came to landing it took the helicopter half an hour before we could drop him and try and get a long line on him to control him," said Kennedy.

By then, Kennedy said "the whole town" of Spences Bridge had come to watch as the pilot tried to delicately land the big horsewithout breaking the large animal's legs.

"It wasn't pretty but we got it done." Kennedy said.

Some of the other animals needing rescuing were too small for the sling, so Kennedy devised a backup plan. Amassive grain tote made out of netting that canhandle loads of up to680 kilograms of feed was usedto cradle the smaller animals in and fly them to safety.

Then they heard the neighbours nearby were also in need with a pregnant Jersey cow named Tina and three goats, cut off by the floods.

Butby Friday night they'd run out of daylight and money for the $3,000-per-hour helicopterso they had to refuse. However, the pilot knew a government official looking at the highways who had a helicopter booked but only half a day of work on Monday, so they used that aircraft forthe goats and the pregnant cow.

They laid the cargo net on the ground, "and the cow walked into the middle of it and we just scooped her up," said Kennedy.

It took three days and used up the animal rescue contingency fund of the Horse Council of B.C., but in the end they rescued two horses, a mule, a pregnant cow, nine puppies, two large dogs, three goats and several cats.

Cardinal says she can't stop sobbing thinking about the ordeal,and is so thankful that she survived and that her animalsgot out thanks to fast-thinking volunteers especially Kennedy.

"She is my hero," Cardinal said.