Palampur (Himachal Pradesh), Feb 7 (IANS): In snow-laden peaks of Himachal Pradesh, a loyal ‘fearless’ German Shepherd became the furry sentinel of love and loyalty for two days in the inhospitable terrain home to wild predators.
When tragedy struck and its master and his friend succumbed to an accidental fall, this canine guardian stood vigilant for over 48 hours -- a four-legged epitome of unwavering devotion.
As the mountains echoed with silence, the loyal companion, with fur frosted by the chilling winds, kept a steadfast watch over the motionless form until the search and rescue team, reached the accident spot at the height of over 9,000 feet in Kangra’s Bir-Billing mountains with the mighty Dhauladhar range in its backdrop.
German Shepherd, Alpha, guarded his master Abhinandan Gupta and his friend Parnita Bal Sahib, both belonging to Pune city in Maharashtra, when they accidently fell into a gorge after veering off the snow-laden track.
The pet, who was accompanying them, stood near the bodies to guard them from the predators. The accident spot is home to the leopard and the black bear.
As per the police, the duo, while returning to their base camp at Chogan near Bir, the landing site for paragliders, some 300 km from the state capital, probably slipped while trekking and fell into the gorge. They tried to come out of the gorge but failed. Later, both succumbed to injuries.
Alpha too sustained injuries but survived.
The rescue team, comprising police and locals, reached the spot on Tuesday after trudging the snow-laden paths.
The rescue operation started on Sunday evening after a distress phone call by Abhinandan’s brother-in-law that their whereabouts were not known and contact couldn’t be established.
After remaining stranded for more than 48 hours without food, the dog was rescued despite hostile weather.
Station House Officer (SHO) Dalip Saklani told the media that when the rescue team reached the spot they found the dog in distress and moving around the body of his owner.
“The dog allowed the police and rescue officials to go closer to the bodies that were lying in the gorge. Later, the dog followed them till Bir where the bodies were shifted,” he added.
“We had to trudge to the hills at a height of more than 9,000 feet and went on slopes with a gradient of 70-80 degrees. We fought against the odds of hostile weather, steep gradient, narrow gorges and crevices,” a rescuer told IANS.
Gupta’s family, which reached Baijnath town, took custody of the body along with the pet, who were taken to Pathankot for further transportation to the hometown.
For them, Alpha is the only memory now.