In November 2023, younger couple Josh and Georgia had been having fun with a tenting journey on the picturesque Kangaroo Island, simply off the coast of South Australia. Along for the journey was their lovable miniature Dachshund named Valerie. Their enjoyable vacation took a tragic flip when Valerie managed to flee her pen whereas her house owners had been on the close by seashore, and regardless of the valiant efforts of fellow campers, she disappeared into the wilderness. A devastated Josh and Georgia stayed on the island looking for their beloved pup so long as they may, however they ultimately needed to admit defeat, returning dwelling to mourn the lack of Valerie, now presumed deceased.
However, there have been quite a few sightings of the wayward wiener canine by locals and guests, and due to the wildlife cameras from Kangala Wildlife Rescue, a neighborhood not-for-profit animal charity, we now have footage, lower than 2 weeks outdated, displaying a remarkably healthy-looking Valerie.
Valerie’s survival after 16 months of fending for herself is one thing of a miracle. Despite the dearth of predators on the island, few might have predicted that this tiny canine of lower than 9 lbs would have been in a position to survive within the wild; however survive she has, for greater than 16 months. There has been hypothesis over how she has been in a position to preserve what seems to be fairly a wholesome weight, with some suggesting that locals and vacationers could have been leaving meals down for the misplaced pup, whereas others consider she could have been counting on her primitive instincts for searching and foraging. This might sound laughable when contemplating the pampered little sausage canines we all know at this time, nevertheless it wasn’t all that way back that the Dachshund was an able hunting dog, despatched down tunnels in pursuit of badgers.
Of course, a canine of Valerie’s dimension can be no match for a badger, not that there are any to be discovered on Kangaroo Island, in fact. She could be using her instincts to flush out some small mammals, in addition to making the most of any roadkill that invariably happens in an space shared by people and wildlife. Whatever the case, she has clearly been consuming one thing!
Although proof of Valerie’s survival has elated her house owners, in addition to the group of followers who’ve been following her story, her continued evasion of rescuers is proving irritating. A devoted group of volunteers has been working tirelessly to coax, herd, or trap the delinquent Dachshund with out success. She has even ignored the calls of her house owners once they returned to the island. However, the group stays optimistic that Valerie’s wild adventures will quickly be coming to an finish, and we’re all determined to see her again within the arms of her loving house owners.
A fund has been arrange by Kangala to assist pay for the efforts to rescue Valerie, and donations could be made via their website. You also can observe alongside along with her story and learn the way to contribute to Kangala’s totally volunteer-run, donation-funded animal welfare efforts by visiting kangalawildliferescue.com. Stay tuned and subscribe to Dogster.com for updates.
All photographs courtesy of Kangala Wildlife Rescue
