# @NZHorseAmbulanceTrust on Facebook

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.facebook.com/101905744678540/posts/594467518755691
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/19560638-NZHorseAmbulanceTrust-facebook
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/803a1939cc.jpg
- **Posted:** 2022-08-07T03:56:51.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** NZ Horse Ambulance Trust (@NZHorseAmbulanceTrust) — https://gondola.cc/NZHorseAmbulanceTrust

## Caption

Dr Peter Gillespie was recently invited to speak on behalf of the Trust at the inaugural Animal Emergency Incident Management Network (AEIMN) Stakeholder Forum held at the University of Melbourne. 

Dr Gillespie said, "Our achievements in establishing a nation-wide horse ambulance fleet have not gone unnoticed by our Australian colleagues, hence the invitation to share our story.

The forum was open to those involved in the oversight and delivery of animal emergency services throughout Australia and New Zealand; first-responders, veterinarians, administrators, educators and representatives from farming, government and animal welfare organisations.

It was a privilege to be part of the weekend. The presentations were largely from first responders and veterinarians working at the ‘coal face’; people with multiple animal rescues under their belt, sharing their knowledge and experiences. 

I came away thinking of how we could grow such a network in New Zealand, starting with identifying the organisations already active in the field and then looking at ways of integrating them into a nationwide emergency response network.

Already my discussions with fellow NZHAT Trustees, MPI colleagues, Massey University and FENZ large animal rescue coordinators, suggest establishing such a network is indeed possible. 

There are currently two fire brigades with the specialised equipment necessary for large animal rescue operations in New Zealand. Kumeu Volunteer Fire Brigade and Silverdale Volunteer Fire Brigade, just north of Auckland, cover some of the most densely populated equestrian areas in the country.

Massey University, under the guidance of Professor Chris Riley, has an established a Veterinary Emergency Response Team (VERT) servicing the Manawatu and Whanganui regions. 

As far as the rest of New Zealand goes, there are no organisations trained and equipped to attend large animal rescues, with nothing at all in the South Island. 

Each year, FENZ attend around 60 large animal rescues, mostly involving horses. Talking with colleagues, we estimate that veterinarians attend roughly three times that number, without the assistance of Fire and Emergency crews. Invariably, rescues are attempted without specialised equipment, making a successful outcome harder to achieve. 

The challenge is;
1. To build a New Zealand-wide inter-agency network, capable of responding quickly and effectively to emergencies involving horses and farm animals.
2. To equip the appropriate agencies with specialised rescue equipment, thereby improving chances of successful outcomes.
3. Develop a nationwide Large Animal Rescue Training programme for first responders, veterinarians, veterinary students and technicians, farming, transport and animal welfare organisations.
4. Establish regional registers of veterinarians and trained personnel whose assistance could be immediately sought to assist at emergency incidents."

Dr Gillespie hopes that we can make progress over the next 12 to 24 months. 

"If we can build a national equine ambulance service from scratch in the space of six years, a large animal rescue network shouldn’t be too difficult."
#NZHorseAmbulance #LargeAnimalRescue #AEIMN #EquineWelfare

Learn more about AEIMN here https://www.aeimanz.org/about

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 95
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- **Comments:** 13

## Tags

largeanimalrescue, nzhorseambulance, aeimn, equinewelfare

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