Opava, North Moravia, Dec 30 (CTK) – Two dachshunds, trained for pursuing fox into their dens, recently got lost underground where they spent two days before being saved by firemen and rescuers with a bio radar, the local fire corps´ spokesman Petr Holub has told CTK.
Rushing underground after a fox in a forest near Opava, the dogs got stuck in its complex den on December 24. Their owners and other hunters spent the Christmas Eve night trying to save the dogs but all in vain.
Exhausted with fatigue, they called in firefighters next morning.
The firefighters used shovels, spades and pickaxes to dig away the ground. However, the area where the dogs could be staying beneath the ground surface was quite large and the dogs´ exact whereabouts were uncertain.
That is why the firefighters called in specialists from the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team trained for saving people from caved-in premises.
“Two USAR members brought special equipment to the scene of the accident. They brought in a bio-radar, an echo-locator and a slot camera,” Holub said.
The special equipment really helped them detect the dachshunds underground. After removing the ground above, they rescued the dogs.
The Ostrava-based USAR team was established in 2007 as one of the two Czech teams with the international certificate in its field. With its state-of-the-art equipment, it has been deployed across the EU to tackle the aftermath of natural disasters, mainly earthquakes, Holub said.
