cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/28754203

The 8-pound dog went missing on the rugged Kangaroo Island in Australia in November 2023 while on vacation with her owners. After a 529-day search, the pup is finally safe and back in human care.

“After weeks of tireless efforts by Kangala Wildlife Rescue volunteers and partner organizations, Valerie has been safely rescued and is fit and well. We are absolutely thrilled and deeply relieved that Valerie is finally safe and able to begin her transition back to her loving parents, Josh and Georgia.”

You can read more HERE.

  • AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    1515·
    1 day ago

    Am I the only one who feels sorry for the dog? I suspect she’d have been happier on the island, given how hard she worked to evade humans and recapture.

    • sorter_plainviewEnglish
      211·
      1 day ago

      That running away from humans is a survival mechanism is what many rescuers say. One of them even coined the term Lost Dog Syndrome.

      TL;DR: The dog is in survival / ferel mode and it is suspicious of anything other than itself. Providing a safe space and slowly introducing back to humans actually change it’s behaviour into a calm and friendly one.

    • purplemonkeymad@programming.devEnglish
      171·
      1 day ago

      I’m sure the dog was having the time of her life! I do wander if part of the reason for the effort might have been worry about the ecological effects of the dog.

      • Delphia@lemmy.worldEnglish
        19·
        1 day ago

        Yep, thats it.

        Lots of conservation areas and a national park. A “529 day search” was the weekly briefing for the National Parks staff including “Hey, nobodys found that dog yet. Keep an eye out.”

        • Doctor_Satan@lemm.eeEnglish
          2·
          7 hours ago

          My first thought reading the post was “what the fuck, they call off searches for humans long before 529 days.” Then I read the article, and read a bit about the island. This part stood out to me in an ABC article:

          Kangala Wildlife Rescue said Valerie would often drop in to the rescue site, before wandering off for days.

          So they knew she was alive, because they had surveillance camera footage of her wandering through the rescue site over and over. It’s not like they had search teams trekking through the wilderness for 529 days straight.