For five days, something howling from the cavernous depths of a local well had villagers in the northwest of India scrambling for help. After all, they had a problem that they didn’t know how to solve.
But climbing into the well themselves and investigating the situation was out of the question. Indeed, if someone had fallen during the process, that person might easily have been hurt and only added to the problem.
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Thankfully, the villagers finally learned of a professional team based in the city of Udaipur that had the necessary equipment and expertise to help. And, though many miles away, Animal Aid Unlimited sent a reconnaissance team to check out the situation.
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Once the team arrived, rescuers Ganpat and Kalu Singh immediately knew this was not one of their ordinary rescues. After all, taking the plunge down a large hole to save whatever was down the well would require extra heavy equipment.
But this was no ordinary well. In fact, it was originally meant to provide easy access to the water table, and as a result it now suffered from erosion and had perilous sides and an overgrown canopy of vegetation. So, in order to be safe, the team needed a crane.
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Using the crane slowly and carefully, the animal rescuers lowered one of their team members into the well. It was tricky work, particularly as the well looked like it might have been abandoned a long time ago.
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So how did something get stuck in the hole? Unfortunately, open wells such as this one, even when active, are rarely given protective covers. This makes them easy to stumble into if someone or something doesn’t know it is there.
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In fact, it was exactly that problem that lead to the howling from this well. And, from the look of the filmed rescue attempt, it seemed as though there wasn’t any more water left inside, either.
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Still, this fact may have helped save the poor creature that had stumbled into this well from drowning. After all, the rescuer returned from the depths of the cavernous hole with a bundled and frightened dog – but a very much living one.
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The video of the rescue showed just how tired and emaciated the dog really was. “The dog’s desperate cries were heartbreaking,” a rescuer said.
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Of course, these humans gave the dog the tender loving care she needed. This is nothing new to them, though, as this branch of Animal Aid Unlimited specializes in rescuing street dogs and other injured animals in Udaipur and nearby areas.
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Indeed, sometimes its charges are extremely sick, having been hit by trains or worse. But, thankfully, this gentle dog had a comparatively better time of it even after being stuck for days underground.
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Once everyone was safe aboveground, then, the team carried the dog to their vehicle. Later, they would take her to the Animal Aid Unlimited center in Udaipur.
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After all, the team desperately needed to check the animal for injuries and treat her for dehydration. Moreover, they were able to give her a name – Sunny.
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So Sunny received plenty of much-needed attention at the center. This included being given medication, reassurance and, of course, some food and water.
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Interestingly, this kind of care hadn’t always been an option for traumatized animals in Udaipur. But that all changed when Americans Erika, Jim and Claire Abrams-Myers founded the animal rescue center in 2002 after moving to India from Seattle.
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Why did the Abrams-Myers set up the center? They said, simply, that they were “heartbroken” after seeing so many injured animals in the streets. And, indeed, stray and injured animals are still a big problem in many parts of India.
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In fact, Animal Aid Unlimited is growing every year. To give you an idea of its size, the organization has, in the last 15 years, rehabilitated over 50,000 animals.
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So Sunny was just one in a long line of happy, healthy and rescued animals. Many of them are still living on the organization’s properties, too. These provide a sanctuary to those animals that cannot, for one reason or another, return to the streets or rural neighborhoods.
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Therefore, Sunny’s new friends include dogs, cows, donkeys and pigs. One keeper from the center summed up the great work that Animal Aid Unlimited, and others like it, do when he said, “[Sunny] would have been dead by now but today she is playing.”
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