Molly the border collie rescued after a week waiting for injured owner in New Zealand’s remote backcountry | New Zealand
A furry black and white dot appears among jagged rocks in New Zealand’s mountainous countryside. This is Molly, the border collie sitting at the bottom of the waterfall where she was separated from her owner a week ago.
Molly was rescued on Tuesday after a volunteer team of former helicopter pilots and crew funded a search in the wilderness, funded by an avalanche of donations from the public.
Molly had been missing since March 24, when her owner, Jessica Johnston, fell 55 feet while hiking. Johnston was seriously injured and rescued by helicopter, but his dog was nowhere to be seen.
The chances of finding the border collie were slim, given its remote location in the Campbell Ranges in the Arahura Valley on the West Coast region of New Zealand’s South Island. But Lillian Newton, of Precision Helicopters, said she had a “gut feeling” that Molly was still alive.
Newton said the small family business wanted to help, but they didn’t have the budget to fund a private search because helicopters cost about $50 a minute. While regular search and rescue efforts are carried out for people in the area, there is no official funding to rescue animals lost in New Zealand’s wilderness.
“We called Jess and made sure it was OK for us to make this public,” Newton said. “The goal was to get $2,400 and some experienced volunteers to come.”
In eight hours they raised $11,500 from “complete strangers in New Zealand” and were able to complete donations. A plan was then prepared.
Newton described the southern Alps where Molly disappeared as “extremely remote, rugged, scrubby and wet.” But there was a team of well-trained professionals ready to translate their human search-and-rescue skills into canine duty.
A volunteer named Georgia flew in from Christchurch with thermal imaging equipment. Wayne, a helicopter crewman by trade, also volunteered, bringing Jack Russell Bingo for emotional support in case Molly got scared. Newton’s father, Matt, a former rescue helicopter pilot, flew the mission.
“They went directly to the spot where owner Jessica had fallen. And to our surprise, Molly was there,” Lillian Newton said.
The rescue team suggested that Molly may not have fallen off the waterfall with Johnston, but that she spent the week slowly working her way towards her final location.
“Tough little spot,” Lillian Newton said. Molly was trapped at the bottom of the waterfall, surrounded by sharp, mossy rocks and belching mist.
Matt Newton kept the helicopter low as Wayne got out. After offering Molly some sausage, he picked up the dog and carried it to the helicopter. Video of the rescue shows Molly being carried under Wayne’s arm, with Bingo tucked under the other.
None of the rescue team knew Johnston or Molly before the mission, but there was a great sense of joy when the crew delivered the message that the dog had been found.
“Someone told me I’d be ‘lotto lucky’ if I found it, so it’s really cool to have it all pay off,” Lillian Newton said.
She said Johnston was lucky water broke his fall, but he suffered a split elbow, was bruised from head to toe and was dealing with the heartbreak of not knowing Molly’s fate.
“I can tell you that he will recover much better now,” Newton said.
In a Facebook post, Johnston said it had been “a very difficult week, but now that we’re both back home I can add this adventure to the list. Still a great ride before our lives get turned upside down.”
