Two dogs trapped in a huge Mexico sinkhole are saved after a national campaign
The Government of the state of Puebla, central Mexico, this Thursday rescued two dogs that fell into the sinkhole that has been formed after a national campaign that pressured the state's governor, Miguel Barbosa, who initially ruled out conditions to save them.
“With success and thanks to the responsible work of the State Civil Protection and Fire Department, Spay and Spike were successfully rescued after they fell into the Santa María Zacatepec tunnel,” the Government of Puebla reported on its official networks.
Earlier, Governor Barbosa had warned that dangerous conditions made it impossible to save the pets that fell into the hole, which exceeds 120 meters in diameter and 50 meters deep, at its lowest point, after appearing at the end of May, when it originated with just five meters in diameter.
But in just a few hours, users launched a petition on Change.org that gathered close to 35,000 signatures and launched a campaign on social networks with images demanding that the Puebla government save the animals.
“There are rescuers who want to come and rescue them, without the need for the government to pay them, they will do it from the heart, the government does not want our support and does not want to give us permission to rescue the two puppies,” denounced Fátima Ortega, owner of Spay.
The landslide occurred on May 29 on farmland in the Juan C.. Bonilla, just over 20 kilometers from the capital Puebla, in an area where there are only a few small and humble houses of the people who farm the land.
The hole originated with only five meters in diameter, in just 24 hours it grew to 30 meters and since then it has not stopped growing.
Inhabitants of Santa María Zacatepec and animal activists protest during the visit of Governor Miguel Barbosa to the area of the tunnel, in Puebla (Mexico). EFE
The dogs Spay and Spike, named after other neighbors, were playing in the field last Monday and exceeded the security cordon maintained by the police and military to stop the curious, descending about 20 meters without the possibility of returning to the surface by themselves..
The images of the animals located in one of the few areas of the tunnel that were not flooded, captured by a drone, went viral on social networks, generating national attention and requests from thousands of people to rescue them.
The situation has aroused national interest due to the unusualness of the formation, which has originated from undetermined natural causes or from the exploitation of aquifers, according to researchers from the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) who are at the site.
The failure has caused damage to five homes and represents damage to people, for which the Government of Puebla was hesitant to save the animals and risk the elements of Civil Protection.