In September 2024 our HUHA vet team were asked to head to the Solomon islands on a desexing and welfare mission. Honiara hadn’t had a vet in residence for some years so things over there were pretty dire, the locals and expats were desperate for our help.
Although our main focus is NZ, to us every animal matters no matter where it is, and we have a saying at HUHA....if we don’t, who will? So we committed to travel to the Solomons for 9 days and then return and refocus on the very real animal welfare crisis in NZ!
But, who would have known that things would take such an unusual turn!
On the way to the clinic early one morning we followed a lead that two crocodiles were living in seriously awful conditions behind a restaurant. We were floored when we found the two crocodiles, living in two separate pits, with no food, no water and littered with rubbish. They had lived like this for more than 12 years.
As our desexing drive came to a successful wrap, we couldn't let the image of the two pit crocs go, so we managed to do something that nobody else has managed to do. We approached the owner and had the crocs signed over to our care.
Although a little horrified to own two crocodiles in the Solomon Islands, we are so excited to be building them a new future. We are also incredibly grateful to our HUHA community for helping us to achieve this. As well as Australia Zoo and World Animal Protection who have joined us on this incredible mission.
When we say we can and we will NZ, we truly mean it!!
We are working with the private sanctuary owner who is willing to take them. They've estimated that it will cost us approx $40k(AUD) to build their new habitat on his land. We think its seriously worth every dollar to get them out of their pits!! 12 years is a long time to be confined with no water and no life. They deserve this!!