Runaway sausage dog snagged after 529 days on Australian island

SYDNEY - A runaway sausage dog named Valerie has been captured after a 529-day adventure, transfixing Australia as she roamed an island teeming with kangaroos, possums, koala bears and penguins.

The miniature dachshund had eluded searchers on Kangaroo Island since November 2023, only rarely appearing in fuzzy glimpses caught by nighttime cameras that showed her pink collar.

“Valerie has been safely rescued and is alive and well,” the wildlife group that has been hunting the wily canine on the southern Australian island said late on April 25.

“We are absolutely thrilled and deeply relieved that Valerie is finally safe and able to begin her transition back to her loving parents,” Kangala Wildlife Rescue posted to social media.

Valerie made her escape during a camping trip with owners Georgia Gardner and her partner Josh Fishlock, dashing out of a pen and straight into the bush.

Her owners gave up after days of searching the island off the coast of South Australia – more than 4,400 sq km of farms, nature reserves, and craggy cliffs.

The missing mutt was not seen for more than a year, with many holding out little hope for her survival.

Then, video surveillance and locals began spotting her, and volunteers launched a patient hunt for the hound, which seemed to flee from people and cars.

“Valerie seems impossible to trap,” wildlife rescuers posted on social media in March.

Investing more than 1,000 hours, volunteer searchers drove more than 5,000km and deployed cameras, traps and lures.

Regular online updates to followers gripped by the drama gave hope they were gradually closing in.

Snatches of black-and-white video showed Valerie regularly visiting a trap site, set up with a cage, blankets and toys – though the facilities also attracted local possums.

After finally catching up with the wandering canine, volunteers