Priceless DOC dog's rescue comes in at $80k and counting
Tuesday, 10 December 2019
The bill for rescuing Flint, the rodent detection dog, from Campbell Island has come in at a hefty $80,000 but the costs aren't likely to stop there.
In November, a rescue operation was launched to retrieve the small Jack Russell/Fox Terrier cross who bolted on the subantarctic islands after being charged by a sea lion.
While DOC is fronting the bill for the rescue, a Te Anau-based helicopter company, which was not involved in the rescue, may also be out of pocket after its fuel stored on Enderby Island was used in the rescue of Flint.
Helicopters Otago was contracted to rescue the dog but had to use fuel stored by Southern Lakes Helicopters.
DOC southern South Island regional operations manager Aaron Fleming said the total cost of the operation would be about $80,000, pending final invoices.
The role conservation dogs play in managing and detecting pests meant it was worth the cost of the operation, Fleming said.
**READ MORE:
* Dog reunited with handler at Wellington Airport after being lost on Campbell Island
* Dog rescued from sub-Antarctic island, after running away from angry sea lion
* Helicopter wreckage from Auckland Islands brought back to Bluff**
A dog like Flint costs about $50,000 during their working life and would cost another $50,000 to replace him, he said.
Beyond the dollar figure, Flint was an important part of the DOC team and they were thrilled to have him home safely, he said.
Kiwibank had also made a contribution to the rescue cost through its support of the Conservation Dogs programme, he said.
Southern Lakes Helicopter operations manager Lloyd Matheson said it had ongoing agreements with Helicopters Otago for its fuel supplies.
Helicopters Otago would pay for the fuel it used during the rescue but not the cost of restocking the fuel.
Due to there being no wharf on Enderby Island it could be a logistic challenge to restock the fuel used as it could not be unloaded from a ship easily, Matheson said.
He would have to explore his options but could have to fund raise $10,000 just to transport the fuel to the island from Invercargill, he said.
Options that could reduce the cost were purchasing fuel off DOC currently stored at Auckland Islands and timing a fuel run with a regular DOC survey of Albatross on the sub-antartic Islands, normally scheduled for mid-January.
Matheson said he was yet to get in touch with DOC or Southern Ocean Charters who could potentially ship the fuel to the island.
There was still enough supplies on the Island to cover another rescue operation, he said.
DOC Murihiku acting operations manager John McCarroll said DOC had offered to assist with logistical support in replacing the fuel and were considering its options that included the sale of fuel from Auckland Islands.