14 DAY TRIAL // A dog, now holding the nickname of Underdog, has been rescued after eight days in a 700ft (213 meters) deep man-made hole. The dog was spotted by tourists and was kept alive by warm-hearted people who threw food down the old diamond mine.
The disused mine is located in Kimberley, South Africa and is also known as the “Big Hole” measuring depths of 700 feet. The poor dog was spotted swimming in the water from the bottom of the mine looking for a way out. Viewers called the emergency rescuers who struggled to get the stranded dog out of the immense hole.
There were several failed attempts to rescue the dog, because of the short lengthened ropes, but Underdog was finally pulled out of the hole by the rescue team. The dog was scared and afraid to approach people, so every time one of the rescuers tried to grab her she would jump back in the water.
The team finally managed to catch the dog with a harness and pull her up to the top using ropes and pulleys according to DailyMail. The operation took almost five hours and the team described it as being very dangerous because of the 50-storey building depth.
In order to bring the dog to safety, a seven-person team formed from ER24, SAP Search and Rescue division was required. One of Underdog's rescuers said “It was a difficult rescue. It wasn't easy. There were stages that we were thinking of giving up but I think we pursued and the most important thing is the dog is safe.”
After being pulled out from the enormous hole, the scared dog was taken to a vet in order to see if she had suffered any injuries. Underdog's results were great and now the SPCA animal shelter is looking for the survivor's new family. Hundreds of adoption offers were made and the staff is now looking through each application to make sure Underdog gets the perfect family.