\n<\/p>\n
When a hiker fell from a 180-foot waterfall in New Zealand\u2019s wild bush on March 24, emergency rescuers evacuated her for injuries including bruises and lacerations.<\/p>\n
Her dog, Molly, was left behind. What happened next brought together crowdfunding, thermal imaging technology and a volunteer search party\u2014including a dog named Bingo\u2014in a rescue effort that found Molly alive a week later, huddled beneath the same waterfall where her owner fell.<\/p>\n
Matt Newton<\/strong>, the owner-operator of Precision Helicopters New Zealand based at Hokitika Gorge near the Arahura River where Molly went missing, was the first to act. He reached out to the injured hiker and went out searching for her dog, flying over the area in the Southern Alps.<\/p>\n \u201cI contacted her in hospital and said I\u2019d go for a look for it,\u201d Matt told The Associated Press<\/em><\/a>. \u201cI went and looked for the dog several times and no avail.\u201d<\/p>\n Her Dog Wouldn\u2019t Let Her Sleep\u2014and It Ended up Saving Her Life<\/p>\n His daughter, Lillian Newton<\/strong>, safety manager and pilot for Precision Helicopters, kept the search going even after those early flights came up empty.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, when the rescue happened, Molly was nowhere to be seen. But I just started getting this gut feeling that Molly must still be alive,\u201d Lillian told Outside Magazine<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n The Newtons launched a fundraiser to increase flight time and pay for advanced search gear, including thermal cameras. The terrain demanded it. Without technology that could cut through it all, spotting one dog beneath a waterfall in that landscape would have been next to impossible.<\/p>\n \u201cLooking 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,\u201d Lillian said. \u201cIt\u2019s wet, it\u2019s cold, and it\u2019s rugged and gnarly. We said dog prayers the night before flying with our own dogs<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n A week after the hiker\u2019s fall, the thermal camera delivered. Matt, a veterinary nurse, volunteer searchers and a dog named Bingo located Molly just a few meters from the rocky spot where the hiker had fallen.<\/p>\n \u201cWe struck jackpot within about an hour,\u201d Matt said. \u201cAs we made our way up the river, we could see the dog in the thermal and then we could visually see it.\u201d<\/p>\n The helicopter flew low, dropping off the volunteer and Bingo, who helped calm Molly and get her to safety. Then the moment the whole effort had built toward: Molly jumped right into the helicopter on her own. After a full week alone in some of the wettest bush in New Zealand, Matt said she was in \u201csurprisingly good condition.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe knew what we were up to, I think,\u201d Matt said. \u201cShe behaved real well. She didn\u2019t run away and she was pleased to be rescued.\u201d<\/p>\n Back at the helicopter base, they \u201cjust had a big barbecue and all had a cuddle with Molly,\u201d he reflected. The hiker arrived hours later and was reunited with her dog.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019ll speed up her healing process somewhat,\u201d Matt remarked. \u201cHaving your dog back, that\u2019s for sure.\u201d<\/p>\nHow crowdfunding and thermal cameras found Molly in New Zealand\u2019s wildest terrain<\/h2>\n
Molly the dog jumped into the helicopter and reunited with her owner<\/h2>\n