Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
Video Credit: CEN
This is the moment a Colombian Army sniffer dog is rushed to a waiting helicopter on a makeshift stretcher after being bitten by a venomous snake while checking a coca crop in the jungle for explosives.
Reports said the sniffer dog, called Luna, was saved thanks to the quick actions of the soldiers in the rural municipality of Tumaco in the western Colombian department of Narino.
According to local media, soldiers from the Hercules task force were investigating a coca crop and Luna was there to detect any mines or explosives set up by a drug gang to deter the authorities.
Luna was sniffing around the coca plants when a venomous snake bit her hind leg. The exact species of snake was not reported.
Luckily, a soldier saw the incident and immediately notified his superiors who requested air backup for the bitten canine.
The Huey II helicopter was mobilised after troops sent their jungle coordinates to colleagues.
Reports said three soldiers fashioned a makeshift stretcher to carry Luna through the jungle to the helicopter’s landing position.
In less than an hour, the sniffer dog was in the port city of Tumaco where it was treated by an army vet.
Thanks to the soldiers’ quick actions, Luna survived the snake bite and is currently recovering at the barracks in Tumaco.
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