The Australian woman, 29, was with a tour group at the popular Ningaloo Reef on Saturday when she was struck.

She reportedly suffered fractured ribs and internal bleeding.

St John Ambulance said the woman had suffered internal bleeding and upper torso injuries "from the crush".

Unconfirmed reports said she was trapped between two of the giant mammals, which can grow up to 19m (62ft).

She was treated in the town of Exmouth before being flown to a hospital in Perth, where she was in a "serious but stable condition" on Monday.

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VINCENT Cash made the difficult decision to postpone his wife’s funeral amid restrictions put in place by the government to limit the spread of COVID-19. Prescola Cash, a 60-year-old wife and mother, was due to be buried on Saturday; the funeral has been rescheduled to mid-April, when her husband hopes the restrictions will be lifted. An emergency order issued by Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis more than a week ago put limits on funerals amid the COVID crisis. Under the order, only ten members of the immediate family and at least one officiant and essential mortuary staff can attend a funeral.

Written by Azaleta Ishmael-Newry and Laura Kimble

A decade of admirable work by Baark! – The Bahamas Alliance For Animal Rights and Kindness and their volunteers was recently celebrated at a fundraiser event at the Old Fort Bay Club on February 1, 2020. A fun-filled evening at their “Dance Through The Decades Party” was a hit with the ‘70’s era proving to be the most popular of the six showcased.

Since their start in The Bahamas in 2009 – Baark! has completed more than 11,000 spays and neuters and saved more than one million animals born into a life of suffering. Spay and neuter leads to a happier and healthier animal population and a significant drop of stray dogs roaming the streets. Baark! works with local and international non-profits and volunteers and are grateful for the support and contributions from the organizations and communities.

Chairperson Laura Kindle shares, “We cannot operate without the amazing support and the donations we receive. A massive thank you to our corporate sponsors for this event - Jack Pot Joy, Graham Real Estate, Odyssey Aviation, Think Simple and International Animal Care.”

The work of Baark! is notable throughout The Bahamas including a recent focus on Abaco. When Hurricane Dorian struck the Abacos and Grand Bahamas in September 2019, hundreds of animals were affected. Baark! sprang into action with an initial rescue and relief effort in the Abaco where it was needed. In November and December Baark! hosted five 1-day spay/neuter clinics and fixed 189 dogs and cats. Five months later, Baark! is still assisting with food distribution into Marsh Harbour.

“The last ten years of Baark! has been a journey for animal welfare and a rewarding experience for the people who are able to assist,” said Vice-President, Lissa McCombe, who has been with the non-profit since their inception. “We started as a small team of naive citizens looking to help the animals who couldn't help themselves. However, the Hurricane Dorian experience was one none of us could imagine and there were so many emotional moments since we were the first responders for the animals. And, more so when we were able to reunite families with their pets.”

Through the assistance of international partners and continuous local support, Baark! was able to help evacuate over 320 animals from a devastated Abaco, shelter them in PUP Tents in Nassau, and later able to bring together many animals with their families. Today, Baark! continues to assist animals in Abaco with a coordinated a food distribution program to ensure animals that remained have access to food as this helps to assist their owners as well who are also recovering from their hurricane situation.

Major fundraisers like the Dance Through The Decades party, helps Baark! continue their mission. The décor for the party was completed by Equilibrium and there were a variety of incredible raffle prizes including a 3 night stay at Kamalame Cay for 2 and round trip airfare for 2 on LeAir. Other supporters were: Pazo Pegullal and Youngs Fine Wine donated wine and Aquapure.

The cocktails hour was sponsored by Purina One and powered by Tito’s Vodka (the Dog Friendly Vodka). Guests were treated to a special vodka cocktail. “Treating each guest to a Tito’s American Mule drink shared the message that Tito’s is a brand for dog people,” said Susan Warren, wine and spirits specialist at Jimmy’s Wine and Spirits.

Tito’s vision of “Vodka for Dog People” program is to better the lives of pets and their families far and wide. “We were more than happy to partner with Baark!, when we learned that their organization also strived to carry out spay/neuter and education projects to reduce the homeless animal population and to end the suffering of dogs and cats in The Bahamas,” said Warren.

For more information on Baark! please visit www.baarkbahamas.com

Winners of the best costumes and best dancers of the Baark! Dance Through The Decades Fundraiser Party held on February 1, 2020 enjoyed themselves. Photo provided by Baark!

Party Goers having a great time on the dance floor at the Baark! Dance Through The Decades Fundraiser Party that was held at Old Fort Bay Club. Guests dressed up in outfits to reflect the decades of the 1950’s onwards. Photo provided by Baark!

The chairperson Laura Kimble (left) and vice-president Lissa McCombe (right) of Baark! assisted with the prizes for the Dances Through The Decades fundraiser party on February 1, 2020 at Old Fort Bay Club. Major fundraisers like these help the non-profit with education programs and spay and neuter activities throughout The Bahamas. Photo provided by Baark!

Baark! is supported by many veterinarians and volunteers. Photo provided by Baark!

Baark! celebrated their 10th anniversary at a major fundraiser party recently held at Old Fort Bay Club in Nassau, Bahamas. The amazing cake was made by Suga Mamma’s. Photo provided by Baark!

When Hurricane Dorian struck the Abacos and Grand Bahamas in September 2019 hundreds of animals were affected. BAARK sprang into action to assist particularly in Abaco with an initial rescue and relief effort. They were also assisted with reuniting pets with their owners. Photo provided by Baark!

A special moment in Abaco.

Photo provided by Baark!

Photos provided by Baark!

Hero World Challenge Donates $184,500 to the One Bahamas Fund. From left Tiger Woods, Dr. Pawan Munjal, Chairman and CEO of Hero MotoCorp and Dionisio D’Aguilar, Bahamas Minister of Tourism and Aviation. Creators of the ONE Bahamas Fund - Justin Timberlake, Tiger Woods, NEXUS Luxury Collection, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and members from the ALBANY community - have pledged $6 million toward Hurricane Dorian relief and rebuilding efforts to be matched by those who share their passion to help those impacted by the devastating hurricane.