World

Dog Rescued After 20‑Day Struggle Between Cliff and River in Nepal

By Vishant Agarwala

A dog named Seti was rescued after spending 20 days on a narrow strip of land between a sheer cliff and the Budhi Gandaki river in Nepal’s Gorkha district. The rescue was carried out by two kayakers, Ram Silwal and Arun Thapaliya, who crossed the swollen river in rain and strong currents to bring the animal to safety. The effort followed a three‑day operation that involved local authorities, animal welfare groups and residents. Seti, belonging to Dayaram Karki of Thado Bharyang in Dharche rural municipality‑1, had been swept away during the flash flood on Oct. 11 in the Budhi Gandaki basin. It survived on an isolated patch of land at Jagat Bagar, near the boundary of Chumanubri and Dharche rural municipalities, where residents first spotted it on Wednesday. Karki and local youths fed Seti by throwing biscuits across the water. The plight of the stranded dog prompted a coordinated rescue effort that included Chumanubri rural municipality, the Manaslu Conservation Area Project, the Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Services Office in Gorkha, Animal Nepal and Gorkha Jaycees. Tourism entrepreneur and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chumanubri president Dhawa Gyalzen Lama, local Birbal Ghale and rural municipality chairman Nima Lama first explored the possibility of a helicopter rescue, but bad weather and difficulties securing flight permission ruled it out. Animal Nepal then contacted Royal Beach Camp in Dhading, which sent a team of professional kayakers and rafters to Jagat Bagar. Despite persistent drizzle and the river’s powerful current, Silwal and Thapaliya crossed the Budhi Gandaki in kayaks to reach Seti. "It was drizzling, and the Budhi Gandaki was raging but they ventured into the swollen river and rescued the dog. I thank them," said chairman Nima Lama to the Nepalese news portal Setopati. The rescuers placed Seti inside a kayak and carefully ferried it across the river, ending its ordeal. Waiting on the opposite bank, Lama welcomed the team with traditional ceremonial scarves, known as khadas, and placed one around Seti’s neck.