A Plea for Help
On April 4th, we received a report of a black dog spotted on a mountain road just northeast of Taipei City. The young stray was struggling to walk because she had a gin trap biting into her front-left paw. Gin traps and wire snares are now illegal in Taiwan, but some cruel and irresponsible people still use them to capture wild animals such as mountain boar or muntjac deer. We immediately dispatched one of our rescuers to the area to help her.
Trying to Catch the Poor Girl
Despite getting there as quickly as possible and several times per day and night, our rescuer failed to even get a sighting of the stricken pup. However, other people in the area reported seeing a dog with a trap on her foot, sometimes about 850 meters further up the mountain road, and other times inside private land nearby.
On April 8th, after four days and nights of fruitless searching, we set up and baited a humane trap at the spot where the dog was seen further up the road, and pointed a trail camera at it to catch video of any movement. But the trap only caught a cat and a healthy dog, who we released some hours later. The camera got lots of footage of birds, cats, and other dogs, but never the one we wanted to rescue.
Serendipity Strikes!
On the 11th, at about 1:00 AM, our rescuer went to check the humane trap and the camera again, but both were empty. He decided to remove them in the morning if the injured dog was still staying away and wait for more reports of sightings so he could choose another place to put them later. Frustrated at not even getting his own sighting of the dog and very tired from all the driving and searching, he decided to sleep in the car at the entrance to the private land where the dog had also been seen, in the hope he might spot her during the night or early in the morning.
But his uncomfortable vehicular sleep, despite causing frequent opportunities to wake up and look outside for the young dog, produced not a single sighting of the badly hurt stray nor any other dog. So at around 10:00 AM, he went to check the humane trap and camera; both had caught nothing, and so he decided to take them away, ready to put in the next location where the dog might be spotted. So he loaded the car and headed home. Faced with a shorter drive through the city or a slightly longer journey up the mountain road, he chose the latter, in the hope of maybe seeing the stricken dog or perhaps another stray in need of help.
Incredibly, about two kilometers further up the mountain road—so almost three kilometers from the place she was first seen—our rescuer drove past the dog, who was showing interest in a small feeding station at the side of the road. She was hobbling around, looking tired—and now a little wary of our rescuer.
The Rescue
Our rescuer stopped the car about 20 meters away and tried to tempt the dog over with some stinky dog food, but she was too nervous and instead crawled under the traffic barrier and limped into the bushes behind the food. Our rescuer got in his car and pretended to leave, parking his car about 80 meters away around a bend and out of sight in the hopes that she might think he’s gone and therefore come back to eat.
It worked! He could just about spot her climbing back up out of the bushes to eat the food that was inside a plastic box turned on its side to keep it from getting spoiled by the elements. Taking advantage of this fortuitous opportunity, our rescuer quickly stepped up behind the box and threw the hand-held net down behind her. The injured stray felt this and, in her panic, tried to run back down into the bushes—straight into the net!
Our rescuer twisted the net to prevent her from escaping and lifted her to his rescue vehicle while talking calmly to her. It was then he noticed that, in the struggle, Jinny’s foot had come off, which is always an unfortunate outcome when a dog is caught in a trap or snare and isn’t rescued in time. We immediately took Jinny, who is only about 7 months old, to one of our preferred vet hospitals. They weighed her, transferred her to a cage, and gave her painkillers while waiting to be seen by the vet. We’re now waiting to hear what the options are for this little girl. We’re hoping she will just need to have her wound cleaned and closed, and further amputation won’t be necessary.
Jinny’s Future
Despite the traumatic ordeal, Jinny is a brave dog who fought for survival, and we’re glad we were able to rescue her in time. We’ve named her Jinny after JinLong Forest Road where she was finally rescued, and also because of the gin trap on her foot. We’re now urgently seeking a home for this bewildered little girl to recover. She’ll need a patient and loving home to help her heal and learn to trust humans again and enjoy a great life ahead, safe from ever being so cruelly hurt again.
You Can Make a Difference
Animal cruelty is never acceptable, and we urge people to report any instances of it to the authorities. We’re committed to rescuing as many stray and wild animals as possible and giving them a chance at a better life—and this is where you can help. We appreciate any donations towards Jinny’s rescue, treatment, and lifelong care if needed. Please consider donating using the secure form below. You can make your gift using debit card, credit card, PayPal, Venmo, Google Pay, or Apple Pay. Your kindness will truly make a difference to suffering Taiwan strays like little Jinny.
Thank you for reading and for any support at all.
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