ST LEONARDS VETERINARY HOSPITAL RECEIVES PETA AWARD FOR SAVING ANIMALS FROM BLAZE

Staff Members Were Hospitalised After Moving Dozens of Animals to Safety

For Immediate Release:
29 January 2014

Sydney – For saving dozens of cats and dogs from a fire that broke out in the facility, four staff members of St Leonards Veterinary Hospital in North Sydney will receive a Hero to Animals Award from animal rights group PETA Australia.

Veterinary staff moved dozens of cats and dogs to safety before fire crews arrived. “If the staff hadn’t taken the initiative to get the animals out of harm’s way, it is very unlikely that the animals would have survived”, says PETA Australia Director of Campaigns Jason Baker. “We encourage everyone to stop and help animals who are in danger, because if you don’t, maybe no one else will.”

The fire broke out just before midday on January 26 on the second level of the multi-storey building. Four staff members were rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation.

The fire was extinguished by firefighters and the building’s sprinkler system. Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Ian Krimmer said that the firefighters appreciated the “wonderful effort” by veterinary staff to move the animals to safety under “immensely difficult conditions”.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.au.

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