Luna, a Jack Russell terrier who eluded capture for over a month as concern for the dog’s survival mounted ahead of winter in Yellowstone national park, was caught in a live trap Wednesday and reunited with her owners.
The 10-year-old dog had been spotted crossing intersections, strolling through employee housing and entering lodges through automatic doors at the sprawling national park that’s home to grizzly bears, wolves and other predators.
Katie Boucher, the volunteer leading the rescue effort and a spokesperson for the dog’s California owners, said she found Luna in the trap baited with scraps from a T-shirt and pillowcase belonging to the family. Boucher took Luna to a veterinarian, who was examining her Wednesday afternoon.
“She’s underweight, but that’s to be expected. She’s alert and in good spirits,” Boucher said. “I was crying all the way up here from the park.”
Luna escaped from her family’s cabin on 10 September. Boucher said the dog had spent her first year on the streets before being adopted and showed strong survival instincts during her foray into the wilderness.
The day Luna escaped, the family left her in their cabin with a “Do Not Disturb” sign while they ventured out to explore the park. In what they believe was an accident, housekeeping apparently opened the room door and Luna got free.
“The staff then proceeded to chase her around that area of the park for over two hours before the owners came back and discovered all the chaos and their dog missing,” Boucher said.
Yellowstone was the first US national park and covers about 3,500 sq miles (some 9,000 sq km) including portions of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.
Luna’s family searched for their dog, but were told the white terrier probably died, possibly killed by a coyote, Boucher recounted. Days after leaving Yellowstone, the owners were advised Luna had been spotted, and contacted Boucher, president of the Norris Ark Training and Recovery Center in Norris, Montana, just north of the national park.
Boucher tracked sightings of Luna and said the dog retraced her family’s steps from the day before she was lost, sneaking into eateries or lodges they had visited.
Locals and tourists called out Luna’s name or chased her, triggering her fight-or-flight response and driving her further into the park, Boucher said. The volunteers set a live trap using the family’s scent to draw Luna in, avoiding food that could attract bears or other wildlife. “MISSING DOG” leaflets with two photos of the small dog on short stubby legs were handed out.
Boucher said this was the last week she would have been able to search for Luna as the approach of colder weather could potentially limit how long she could stay in the park. She was sleeping at an RV park for seasonal employees that closes next Monday.
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