Dozens of dingoes are saved from the bushfires after brave volunteers ran into a burning sanctuary to rescue them
- A bushfire tore through a dingo sanctuary and threatened the lives of 32 dogs
- Brave volunteers ran through flames and falling trees to rescue the dingoes
- The sanctuary, running since 1976, suffered $50,000 worth of damages
Dingo sanctuary volunteers have risked their lives by running through flames and falling trees to rescue the wild dogs as bushfires ripped through the park.
The fire at Green Wattle Creek tore through Bargo Dingo Sanctuary, south-west of Sydney, on Thursday, threatening the lives of 32 dogs.
Firefighters on the scene had little choice but to cut break open the cages and hope the dingoes would run to safety.
Brave volunteers rushed to the sanctuary when they heard the animals were in danger.
Flames from the fire at Green Wattle Creek burn through structures at Bargo Dingo Sanctuary on Thursday
One volunteer said the sanctuary, which has been running since 1976, said there were $50,000 worth of damages
Volunteer Rebecca Bancroft drove 40km from her home in Campelltown to save the dogs.
‘I grabbed some leads and ran to the sanctuary. There were flames everywhere it was horrible, trees were falling down. There was smoke,’ she told The Daily Telegraph.
‘[Another volunteer and I] managed to find four dingoes hiding underneath their concrete shelter. We quickly caught them and put them on leads before loading them into the car and taking them away.’
Some of the dogs suffered burns on their paws and were taken to a vet.
Volunteers found ten dingoes that managed to escape the inferno in the area. They are looking for 22 more
A Rural Fire Service worker sits in the car with a rescued dingo from the Bargo sanctuary
Ms Bancroft is hopeful the remaining dogs escaped the blaze.
She said the sanctuary, which has been running since 1976, had $50,000 worth of damage and would take years to recover.
A Go Fund Me page was set up to raise money for the costly repair.
‘The enclosures were destroyed, our shed was destroyed, all the food, all the merchandise, it is all gone,’ she said.
Six more dingoes were found hiding from the inferno in the area.
Volunteers are still searching for the remaining 22.
Another volunteer Rachael Ohlrich issued desperate plea on social media asking members of the community to be on the look-out for stray dingoes.
‘They are aloof, not vicious, but they will be scared at this time,’ she wrote on Facebook.
‘If you see a dingo, approach quietly and let them approach you.’
At least 20 homes were destroyed in the fire near Bargo.
Another volunteer Rachael Ohlrich issued desperate plea on social media asking members of the community to be on the look-out for stray dingoes