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Durban - A puppy, sodden and cold, was rescued by a team of rescue technicians after being trapped in a drain pipe for more than 30 hours on the outskirts of Durban on Monday.
The team, highly trained and equipped to save lives, hacked at concrete and earth for hours.
Eventually a gloved hand rose from the hole in the ground holding the puppy.
RescueTech spokesperson Nic Holmes said that his team had first been made aware of the pup in distress when they were called for help by the SPCA.
"On Monday at about 10:00 the SPCA phoned and asked if we could assist them, at first with a camera, to put in the drain to see where the dog was," he said.
"They said it [the puppy] had gone down a drain pipe which seemed to lead from it’s opening under a garage," Holmes added.
'A life is a life'
Working closely with rescue technicians from Durban University of Technology (DUT), the team made their way to the house.
"We managed to get the camera with the help of the guys at DUT and they went out at about 14:00 to assist. They discovered that the dog was nearly 4m into the pipe under the concrete garage floor," he said.
Using cutting and coring tools, the men then set about removing a section of the floor to find the drain pipe.
"We were able to cut a square in the floor of the garage and cored down to expose the pipe.
"The pipe was cut open and then a drain rod and the camera were used to manipulate the puppy to the point we were able to free it," he said.
"The dog was in the pipe for a total of 31 hours and now the dog is perfectly fine."
"A life is a life and our guys quite enjoy helping animals," he said.
