Valerie, The Miniature Dachshund: Pet Dog found alive 16 months after being lost in wild nature

When a miniature dachshund He disappeared in November 2023 on an island of South Australia, his owner in difficulty cried for days while trying desperately to trace it, assuming that he had no possibility of surviving alone in nature.

But 16 months after his disappearance, Valerie was spotted Kangaroo Island In Southern AustraliaWith surprise of wildlife experts.

Valerie disappeared while on vacation with its owners, Georgia Gardner and Josh Fishlock. Although they searched the island for a week with local help, it was no longer recently seen.

“We probably spent five days of our trip to look for it, but unfortunately without luck,” Fishlock said to Nine News’ Today. After unnecessary attempts to find Valeria, they left the island to return to their life.

But he said that in the months following Valerie’s disappearance, sightings of her have been reported on Kangaroo Island.

“He never left my side. He was not a very external and approximate dog. To think that even one night outside the rain, Oh my God, to think that it has gone a year and a half is incredible,” said Mrs. Gardner. The guardian.

The dog, whose precise age was not available, continues to escape capture despite the efforts of volunteers and wildlife experts.

The Kangala Wildlife Rescue confirmed its survival through video tests and has put traps with the cameras to try to catch it. On their Facebook page, the organization wrote: “Based on first -hand account and test video now we know that Valerie is alive. It runs to the first sign of humans or vehicles and despite the best efforts of the dedicated island premises, Valerie was impossible to capture”.

Mr. Fishlock said Nine news: “Initially we were a little skeptical about all sightings, so probably three weeks ago, we received a photo from one of the premises and this aroused a lot of hope in us. He gave us almost 100 % of certainty that is still alive. “

However, according to what reported, it becomes mischievous when someone tries to approach and flee quickly.

Despite being a “princess” and not suitable for the wild, Valerie’s remarkable resilience surprised his rescuers.

Gardner said: “We thought, instead of surviving in nature, perhaps someone had adopted it or she was going around with some other dogs and getting their food, because it was a small absolute princess.”

“I remember the first day I was only covered with tears. We just ate nothing,” he said Adelaide’s advertiser. “My whole world just crumbled. When we left the island without her, I cried for days.”

Kangala wrote on their Instagram: “We are using surveillance and various capture and activation methods in the area that was last seen to try to take it home. This is a small dog in a large area and we will need help from the public to report any sighting and a lot of luck.”

Experts are amazed by the survival of the dog, assuming that may have eaten Roadkill, water dam or possibly received help from the locals. Paul McGreevy of Sydney UniversityThe veterinary school said that, like all dogs, the beats were “extremely enterprising”. He said: “Dogs are the greatest opportunists in the animal kingdom: this is one of their fundamental skills”.

On the Kangala Facebook page, a user wrote: “Please put the owner’s unrelated clothing down in sighting places. Ask the people who see it to sit down and not take a visual contact. Put the food with liquid smoke paths with paths traveled will help you I have to be there as soon as possible.