Jessica Johnston fell 55 meters at a waterfall in New Zealand's wilderness and was rescued by helicopter, suffering serious injuries from the fall, according to reports. Her dog, Molly, a border collie, went missing after the fall. The search for Molly was conducted by a volunteer helicopter team from Precision Helicopters, funded by public donations, with donations reaching $11,500 within eight hours, according to reports.
Molly was located using thermal imaging equipment, according to reports. According to The Independent - Main, Lillian Newton described that the team went directly to the spot where the owner, Jessica, had fallen, and much to their surprise, Molly was there. Molly was found alive at the base of the waterfall after nearly a week of searching, according to reports, and Jessica Johnston and Molly were reunited after the rescue, according to reports.
We rang Jess and made sure she was okay for us to put it to the public.
Lillian Newton had a gut feeling that Molly was still alive, according to reports. The incident occurred in the Arahura Valley near Hokitika on New Zealand's South Island, with the fall happening on March 24 and Molly found on Tuesday, implied to be March 31 or April 1, according to reports. The terrain in the search area is extremely remote, rough, bushy, and wet, according to reports.
According to The Independent - Main, Lillian Newton described that looking for Molly was a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack, with the terrain extremely isolated and rough, featuring thick bush and the most rainfall in New Zealand. Molly likely survived by eating wild animals, such as possums, according to reports. According to The Independent - Main, Matt Newton described that they were just making their way up the river to the most likely location where they felt that she would be, which is where Jess, her owner had fallen two weeks ago, and they had the thermal equipment.
The goal was to get $2,400 and some volunteers that were experienced to come along.
According to Aftonbladet, Matt Newton described that when they worked their way up the river they could see the dog, and she understood what they were doing, not running away but happy to be rescued. Precision Helicopters is not a formal rescue service and was not involved in the initial rescue of Jessica Johnston, according to major media reports. The helicopter costs around $50 per minute to run, according to major media reports.
The specific injuries Jessica Johnston sustained from the fall remain unknown, as does how exactly Molly survived for nearly a week in the wilderness, including details about water sources or shelter. The total cost of the helicopter search operation and whether there were any official rescue efforts by authorities before the volunteer team intervened are also unclear. The current condition and recovery status of both Jessica Johnston and Molly have not been disclosed.
Looking for Molly was a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack. This terrain is extremely isolated, extremely rough. We have thick bush, and we have the most rainfall in New Zealand.
' According to The Independent - Main, Lillian Newton described that they rang Jess and made sure she was okay for them to put it to the public, with the goal to get $2,400 and some volunteers that were experienced to come along. According to The Independent - Main, Lillian Newton described that it’s wet, cold, rugged, and gnarly, and they said dog prayers the night before flying with their own dogs. According to Daily Mail - News, Lillian Newton described that someone told her she would be 'lotto lucky' to find Molly, so for it all to pay off is just amazing, and she'd say Molly will heal up a lot better now.
It’s wet, it’s cold, and it’s rugged and gnarly. We said dog prayers the night before flying with our own dogs.
They went directly to the spot where the owner, Jessica, had fallen. And much to our surprise, Molly was there.
We were just making our way up the river to the most likely location where we felt that she would be, which is where Jess, her owner had fallen two weeks ago. We had the thermal equipment
Someone told me that I would be 'lotto lucky' to find her, so for it all to pay off is just amazing.
I'd say she'll heal up a lot better now.
A bloody rough week, but with both of us back home I can add this adventure to the list.
Still a great trip before our lives got turned upside down.
When we worked our way up the river we could see the dog.
She understood what we were doing, I think. She didn't run away, but was happy to be rescued.