A miniature dachshund named Valerie has been rescued after surviving 529 days alone on Kangaroo Island in South Australia.
Valerie had gone missing in 2023 while on a trip with her owners, Josh and Georgia, according to 9News. She was finally caught by a team from Kangala Wildlife Rescue after many months of searching.
At first, rescuers tried to catch Valerie on April 15 by placing her owners’ clothes and toys inside a special cage. Although Valerie entered the cage, the trap door couldn’t close properly, and she escaped. But the team didn’t give up. Last night, they finally succeeded in safely capturing her.
Kangala Wildlife Rescue shared the good news on social media, saying Valerie is “fit and well” and will soon be reunited with her family. The search for Valerie was a huge effort, taking over 1,000 volunteer hours and involving more than 5,000 kilometres of travel by car.