Byron Bay Wildlife Sanctuary has been devastated by the dangerous rain storm thrashing NSW, with its animals’ habitats ruined and predator fences swept away by flood water.
A wild wet weather event has taken the east coast by storm, with NSW SES warning residents not to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary. Sydney has faced its highest daily rainfall in two years, and a man in Queensland has tragically lost his life.
The Northern Rivers region has been particularly affected, with Byron Bay Wildlife Sanctuary staff posting to social that “within just thirty minutes, half of our sanctuary was submerged underwater.”
The torrential rain in the Northern Rivers has led to the closure of public schools and flooding of roads. There are also warnings in place for Lismore residents whose cars are at risk of flooding.
“We’ve lost vital perimeter fences, endured damage to enclosures, pathways, and buildings, and the threat of more rain hangs over us,” sanctuary staff wrote in a Facebook post.
“As the flood waters slowly recede, they unveil a landscape that bears the marks of devastation. The recent flooding has taken a toll on our sanctuary, leaving behind a trail of destruction.
“Perimeter and predator-proof fences have been washed away, walkways have been destroyed, enclosures have suffered damage, and our once vibrant garden beds lie in ruins.”
The sanctuary has closed for the weekend, and staff are desperately trying to clean up the place. However, in a small win, all animals were moved to high ground safely and none were injured.
“In the midst of this chaos, our top priority remains the safety and well-being of our animals. We’ve swiftly relocated them to secure locations while we embark on the arduous task of cleanup and restoration,” staff wrote in a GoFundMe created to raise funds for the sanctuary’s recovery.
The good news is the flooding shouldn’t be as bad as the previous disasters we’ve seen in the Northern Rivers region.
“If we go back to those Northern River floods, it didn’t move as forecast,” Carlene York, the NSW SES commissioner, said.
“It stayed there, it kept dumping the rain and that’s obviously had the big impact.”
The rain is expected to become heaviest in Sydney on Friday night before moving towards Central NSW and then easing on Saturday.
