An emaciated dog was found trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building one month after Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas.
The dog, which has since been named Miracle, was rescued on Friday (October 4) in Marsh Harbour by members of the Big Dog Ranch Rescue, who are using technology and special recovery teams to locate and save dogs trapped as a result of the hurricane.
Despite nearly being crushed to death after the building collapsed and being trapped under debris for more than three weeks, the one-year-old mixed breed was able to survive on rainwater.
You can watch the moment Miracle was rescued below:
The animal rescue service used infrared heat-seeking technology on a drone to find Miracle, eventually locating him buried under several air conditioning units among the debris, WPTV reports.
The founder and President of Big Dog Ranch Rescue, Lauree Simmons, said the team sent a plane to the location immediately after receiving an urgent text message at 9.30 on Friday morning.
Simmons explained why they decided to name the animal Miracle:
It’s truly a miracle that he survived this long on his own. Hopefully, we can find his owners. If not, we’ll find him a wonderful home.
The dog arrived at the rescue centre just before 2pm that afternoon, with Simmons telling veterinarian staff he was ‘totally emaciated’. Miracle was then given 300ml of fluids by the vet, before being fed small amounts of food.
He was then cleared for transport back to the United States. Tragically, another dog that was trapped along with Miracle did not survive.
Simmons said she wants everybody to know the crisis in the Bahamas ‘is not over’, adding there are a lot of dogs who are too scared to come out from where they are because of heavy equipment that’s being used for cleanup efforts.
This rescue mission is Big Dog Ranch Rescue’s 12th since Hurricane Dorian destroyed parts of the Bahamas last month, killing 60 people in its wake – although the death toll is expected to rise as hundreds of others are still listed as missing.
The hurricane, which was the biggest storm to ever make landfall in the country, hit the Bahamas on September 1 with winds of 220mph. Large swathes of Greater Abaco Island were destroyed and more than 2,500 people were forced to evacuate.
To date, 138 dogs have been rescued from the Bahamas by Big Dog Ranch Rescue, with several from homes in Marsh Harbour where the animals were separated from their families as they evacuated.
Many have been reunited with their owners, although the rescue has been working with the Bahamas Humane Society to clear shelter space so new dogs can be placed there.
You can make a donation to support the rescue effort here.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).