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There is fresh hope in the search for a miniature dachshund that went missing more than 500 days ago on Kangaroo Island.
A rescue group has released new footage of the pet dog that captured global attention for surviving the Australian wilderness.
The footage has brought hope and cheer to the supporters of the dog that has been “impossible to catch”.
Valerie went missing in November 2023 on the South Australian island when she was with her vacationing owners, Georgia Gardner and Josh Fishlock from New South Wales. She fled from her owners, leaving them in shambles. Last month, after 16 months in the wild, she was spotted on the island, to the surprise of wildlife experts.
Kangala Wildlife Rescue, which is leading the search, released new footage on Tuesday morning which showed the tiny, 4kg-dog playing with a food box they had left to tempt her. The rescue group is setting up traps for her with some of her favourite foods to capture her. Kangala wrote in a Facebook post that it was “such a joy to see her playing and trying to get it open”.
“It was so encouraging to see her getting more comfortable coming back into the area.”
The resue centre added: “Little Valerie playing with one of the food boxes, we have been using to help encourage her to come into the rescue area, it was such a joy to see her playing and trying to get it open, although she didn’t manage to get into it, she did find some of the food we had hidden around the place. We have had to come up with different ideas as the wildlife also love the same treats and snacks.”
“Roast chicken seems to be everyone’s favourite.”
Map: Where is Kangaroo Island?
On Monday, the group wrote on Facebook: “Valerie is now attending at (sic) our trap site on a regular basis, even is that means she disappears for 5 or 6 days we now know she will return. She has become confident entering the large dog trap which has been set up like her own little room with her toys and bed from home, mums clothing, hidden food and challenges to keep her entertained.”
The group says “we have seen an amazing change in Valerie’s demeanour recently as she begins to remember all those familiar smells, tastes and sounds”.
“The team has been working tirelessly around the clock for weeks now on this mission, with the main focus being Valerie’s safety and her mental health and doing everything we can to make the transition back home as stress free as possible.”
Last month, Mr Fishlock told Nine News: “We were initially a bit sceptical of all the sightings, then only probably three weeks ago, we received a photo from one of the locals and that sparked a lot of hope in us. It’s given us nearly 100 per cent certainty that she’s still alive.”
However, she reportedly becomes skittish when someone tries to approach her and quickly flees again. Despite being a “princess” and not suited for the wild, Valerie’s remarkable resilience has surprised her rescuers.
Ms Gardner said: “We thought, instead of her surviving out in the wild, maybe someone had kind of adopted her or she was hanging out with some other dogs and getting their food, because she was an absolute little princess.”
Fans of Valeria have been cheering her on. One wrote in comments on the Facebook page: “Please once she is home and settled if she can have her own Instagram account so we can follow her. She is so special.”
English (US) ·