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Friday, April 5, 2013
Sky angel rescues stranded dogs from West Coast Trail Nitinat lighthouse: Dogs recuperating in Cowichan after helicopter pilot tracks and rescues them from two-month ordeal Ross Armour
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wo dogs lost for seven weeks on the West Coast Trail past Nitinat have been found and returned to the Cowichan SPCA. The dogs, black Labradors, were found by Tofino-resident Randy Mercer who was flying his helicopter. He brought them into the Central Cowichan Animal Hospital last Wednesday, the hospital confirmed. “The man flew in on his helicopter and picked them up after tracking the dogs himself,” said Mary Hemstalk at the animal hospital. “Their faces were severely scratched up after scavenging for weeks.” Hemstalk said the two dogs are a father and son with the former believed to be “seven or eight years old” and the latter “around a year old.” “Our doctor examined them right away when they were brought in. They are both doing better now and gaining weight.” Mercer, who works for Parks Canada, said he found the dogs at a lighthouse along the West Coast Trail, where he and the lighthouse keeper looked after them for a few days. “They were both pretty beat up when I found them, their bones were showing,”
he said. “They had scars on their face probably from scrounging around in the rocks for so long but were in pretty good spirits. The lighthouse keeper made them homemade food and did a pretty good job of looking after them. “They are very obedient dogs. We took them out for a walk on the beach a couple of days after we found them and the older one let out two barks and the young guy came running right over, so they’re pretty tight.” Sandi Trent from the SPCA confirmed the extent of some of the dogs’ injuries. “The older guy has two blown kneecaps and that could be a real problem,” said Trent. “Both of his cruciate ligaments are torn and have never been fixed. I think the fact that they were left out there for so long speaks volumes about the ownership so we are not looking for the owners. If they come in they may have to deal with our constable.” When healthy the dogs will be put up for adoption as a pair. The older dog is suffering from a sore abdomen, Trent said. “He has a very serious disc problem in his back that will probably mean he’ll be on pain control for the rest of his life as surgery would cost between $5,000 and $7,000.” Anyone with information is urged to call the SPCA at 250-746-4646.
Tyson Jones
SPCA manager Sandy Trent plays with Jayce (left) and Uncle Si (right), a couple dogs rescued by helicopter recently from the West Coast Trail.
Conservationists want Somenos Marsh RCMP station plan put into permanent lock-up Peter W. Rusland
turn down the application,” he said Thursday watching trucks dump dike fill, and big machines pile marshland trees and soil. “The dike now ends at the (proposed) police station lot, but they can’t build dike there now because it’s fish habitat.” Still, diking work is pushing the environmental envelope, he signalled. “Council did exactly what they promised not to do: start installing the dike during the fisheries’ window.” Mayor Jon Lefebure said he understood local ecological concerns about building a bigger cop shop — estimated to cost taxpayers $8 million — to replace North Cowichan/Duncan’s cramped, flood-damp 1979 station on Canada Avenue.
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etland habitat off Beverly Street is the wrong place for a proposed new RCMP station, Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society’s president
Peter W. Rusland
Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society’s Paul Fletcher says council lacked collaboration about diking for a new RCMP station aimed for sensitive habitat land off Beverly Street.
says. Paul Fletcher vowed the society will fight to defeat North Cowichan council’s application to have the municipality’s twoacre, triangular site — beside Fun Pacific’s go-kart track — pulled from the agricultural land reserve. “We’ll do everything in our resources to get the Agricultural Land Commission to
“That’s a genuine concern, and we’ll think about that before we decide to go ahead with anything. If the ALC gives us permission, we have to decide how to have the lightest footprint possible,” Lefebure said. “We don’t have the possibility of building there until we get permission from the ALC.” But even with that nod, Fletcher noted “that land was dedicated to the Somenos Marsh Conservation Area in 2000 by North Cowichan when they designed their management plan.” Lefebure has stated the station — built to Mountie specs — would be dry behind the dike. more on page 5
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