Cape Town - A wild mare and her foal stranded in the rising and fast-flowing Orange River in Bethulie in the Free State have been saved in a daring rescue by the NSPCA.
Inspector Mike Allen of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' Equine Unit said on Friday the mare and her foal were first seen an estimated 40 metres below the Hennie Steyn bridge on Sunday night.
"There was no dry land in sight. The width of the water was approximately 1.4km," he said.
"The mare was so steadfastly at the side of her foal that we believe she may not have been able to keep up when the other animals left and her mother devotedly stayed behind with her."
Allen said "extreme measures" had to be taken to rescue the two animals.
'Tricky' rescue
"The NSPCA made public appeals for assistance especially if someone in the area had a boat and a skipper who could navigate the dangerous waters which continued to rise and were flowing rapidly.
"A boat was brought to the scene from the Gariep dam by owner Wikus Wiese, a member of the public, who is thanked most sincerely for this gesture and his role."
The "tricky "rescue was underway on Wednesday with Allen controlling the rubber duck.
"Once the animals had been reached, the boat manoeuvred between the foal and her mother, separating them. This enabled ropes to be placed around the foal who was initially led alongside the boat, then lifted into it and taken to safety.
"The mare swam out to dry land where she was reunited with her foal. The foal was dried and warmed and treated for shock."
Allen said both mare and foul were "doing fine" when he checked on them the following day.
"They are both back in their normal habitat on dry land. The foal was sleeping when I last checked them and the mother was grazing. If you saw them you'd never believe that they had spent three days in water."
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