Maple Rallies the Community to Save Zoo Animals from Flood

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Whether it's scoring, passing, or even blocking a shot for his teammates, it certainly appears that Vasteras' rookie Dogwood Maple.  Well you can apparently add animal rescuer to his list of accolades.  

 

It all started with the City of Vasteras being mired in the worst drought in their entire history. It hadn't rained for 81 days and temperatures had been constantly rising, which led to the disaster.  On Friday, the forecast called for precipitation and the population was overjoyed.  But that joy quickly turned to shock as the rain came on Monday and did not stop.  It was a constant deluge for seven days and quickly went from a small amount of water to devastating floods.  One area of the city that was hit hardest was the Vasteras Zoo, which is in one of the valleys in the city and unfortunately a target for rushing flood waters.  When Maple heard the news about the impending flood, he raced into action. He got in his boat and went straight to the Zoo.

 

By the time he got there, the waters had already started to rise and many of the employees were desperately trying to save the animals.  Luckily for them, and the animals, Maple did not come alone.  He lined up an armada of boats to head down there and help.  The entire Vasteras roster showed up as well as hundreds of people from the community that he rallied together.  They brought boats, ATVs, ropes, and were even able to convince the military to send in rescue helicopters.  

 

When the rescuers first arrived, they split up into groups and each one was tasked with saving a certain group of animals.  Maple and his Vasteras teammates went to the large mammal enclosures, while members of the community handled the reptiles, primates, birds, and other small animals.  

 

"We just wanted to save as many animals as we could.  It sounds like the flood hit the zoo harder than any populated areas, so that's why we came down. Just trying to help out any way that we can." Maple said.

 

Their rescue efforts were not in vain, either.  At the end of the rescue operation, every single animal was accounted for either by transporting that animal out of their location or by making sure the floodwaters could not invade.  The group stayed on location for 36 hours until the waters finally started to recede and the property cleanup could commence.

 

"I know that this community would do the same for me if my house was being flooded or on fire or anything like that.  That's what makes this place so great.  We always look out for one another no matter what the circumstances are.  And this was definitely not a one-man operation.  Without the community, it would have been devastating.  I'm just thrilled that it worked out," Maple further elaborated.

 

As a show of thanks, the Vasteras Zoo is offering free admission to anyone with a Vasteras Iron Eagles ticket stub all season and has partnered with the club for various sponsorships, zoo improvements, and other growth opportunities.  

 

For his part, Maple has dedicated $1 million to help with the zoo cleanup and has vowed to continue his donations throughout his playing career.

 

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