SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Few would have thought a wet, helpless dog could survive for days trapped on the rocks of Chile’s second-largest river, on a cold and windy coastal stretch of the South American country.
Named Sirena, which translates to mermaid, by her caretakers, the medium-sized black dog was rescued Thursday morning after being stuck at the mouth of the Biobio river some 500 kilometers (310 miles) from capital Santiago.
Norman Ahumada, captain of San Vicente port and Corbeta Litoral, said the rescue had been complex due to poor weather and difficult sea conditions.
But a group of firefighters and members of the Chilean Navy managed to rescue her a day after people from the local area of Hualpen alerted that Sirena was trapped.
An animal support NGO took the rescued dog to a veterinary clinic. After undergoing exams, Sirena will be given up for adoption.
(Reporting by Reuters TV and Natalia Ramos; Writing by Carolina Pulice and Natalia Ramos; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
