Two dogs have been rescued after being discovered 12 meters by a mine well in the interior of South Australia.
Key points:
- Two dogs were heard crying through a well in a mine at Coober Pedy
- The SES adapted its equipment to rescue them
- They ran to nearby houses after leaving aside
A Coober Pedy resident heard crying from the bottom of his opal mining well this morning and called the town hall, which then called the State Emergency Service (SES) unit to investigate.
They found that there were two dogs at the bottom of the Post Office Hill Road axis.
Coober Pedy SES unit manager Anthony Daelman-Whitaker said the rescue team took about three hours to set up, as the group’s mine rescue harnesses had to be adapt to dogs.
The operation went smoothly and the unharmed dogs were grateful to see the light of day around 1:30 p.m.
“They were very happy when we put them back up,” Daelman-Whitaker said.
“It didn’t take long for the tails to start moving and the mouths to be in bowls of water.”
Dogs are “very quiet” when they are taken out
After initially wondering who the kelpie-cross and Staffordshire terrier-cross belonged to, dog catcher Roger Boland said the couple began pulling the rope to houses not far away.
“I told my partner,‘ We could let them go, too, ’so we let them go and that was it,” Boland said.
“One ran right up the hill and left; the other went to the other side.
“They were supposed to be roommates but they don’t live in the same house.”
Equipment created by the SES to rescue dogs, with the help of volunteers from the Country Fire Service. (Supplied by: Roger Boland)
He said they were “very calm” and that there was no need to use the sedatives she had brought with him just in case.
“I think a little bruised, but other than that they were fine,” he said.
Daelman-Whitaker said it was unclear how long the dogs were on the shaft.
“It’s great to have such a positive result considering we don’t know how long they were down there and they fell 12 meters,” he said.
A car hood has now been placed at the entrance to the mine shaft.