(Reuters) -A miniature dachshund, whose rescue after 529 days missing on an Australian island captured global media attention, is recovering well, wildlife rescuers said on Saturday.
Valerie the sausage dog’s story of survival made headlines after she was rescued on Friday on Kangaroo Island, about 14 km (9 miles) off the coast of South Australia state. Valerie went missing in November 2023 when her owners travelled to the island, which is popular with tourists, according to local media.
“She’s doing really, really well,” Jared Karran, director of Kangara Wildlife Rescue, said of Valerie in a video on the charity’s Facebook page.
His comments came after the charity, set up following Australia’s catastrophic 2019-2020 “Black Summer” of wildfires, said on Friday it was “overjoyed to announce the successful rescue of Valerie”.
“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,” it said.
The mission to find the dog comprised more than 1,000 hours of searching by volunteers, the charity said, adding that it also involved vehicles and “numerous cameras and traps”.
(Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by Kim Coghill)
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