Tamil Nadu: Fed by kids, stray survives in well for month

CHENNAI: Stuck for a month at the bottom of a 25-ft-deep well, a stray dog survived tall odds to be rescued alive in Ramakrishnaraja Pet, Tiruvallur, on Tuesday.

Food dropped into the disused well by students and residents in the town, around 100km west of Chennai, and the animal’s resilience kept it alive — till Blue Cross of India volunteers rappelled down the 30-ftwide shaft and hauled it out with a net.

The dog’s ribs may have been showing under its brown coat when the rescuers finally brought it to freedom, but it was alert and relatively not much the worse for its ordeal, residents said.

Locals discovered the trapped animal almost hidden from sight by thick vegetation in the well. They couldn’t fathom how the animal fell inside the well, sunk near a rice mill and enclosed by a parapet wall; and, try as they may, they could not find a way to get it out.

“We tried to rescue the dog but it responded aggressively,” said Akash, a student of Government Boys Higher Secondary School in the town. “It was probably scared after being in the well for so long.”

Desperate calls to the fire and rescue services department were of no help. Responding officers flatly refused to get involved, saying they did not have the equipment required to rescue the dog.

A teacher from the school, who had heard about Blue Cross, suggested that they call the organisation.

‘Residents overjoyed with animal rescue operation’

Yuvaraj, an English teacher, said, “I had an inkling that Blue Cross volunteers could help.” “We called them on Monday and they arrived the next morning. It’s a good thing they responded quickly because we started to get worried that the dog may not survive after it rained for two successive days.”

“The site was farther from the city than we usually go,” Blue Cross of India general manager Dawn Williams said. “But we were surprised that the dog had survived this long. We knew that it was due to the goodwill of the locals, so we decided to help.”

“A group of students and residents from nearby made sure the dog had food to eat,” he said. “They even lowered a bucket of water into the well.”

Blue Cross volunteers reached the spot on Tuesday morning. One of them lowered himself into the well and tried to reassure the animal, which was in obvious distress, Williams said.

Around three dozen residents who had gathered to watch the rescue let out a whoop of joy when, after an operation that lasted an hour, the volunteers hoisted the dog.