Mule rescued after 27 days without food or drink in daring operation

A mule, stuck in flood-ravaged Uttarakhand, northern India, for 27 days without food or drinking water, was rescued in a heroic one-of-a-kind operation on Tuesday. Several efforts from the authorities to rescue the animal had been unsuccessful over the past few weeks. The Army had tried constructing a bridge over the Mandakini river but it was washed away. The Air Force helicopters could not fly low enough to drop food in the terrain.

It took a colossal effort from a civilian pilot, Captain Bhupinder, and his team to pull off a miraculous rescue. Captain Bhupinder, along with Captain Angad, not only flew to the dangerous flyzone in Sonprayag but was able to land his chopper near the river. However, the trickiest part of the operation lay ahead.

Earlier, it was planned that the mule would be airlifted but due to unavailability of sufficient safety equipment, the team moved to Plan B. Vets accompanying the rescue team sedated the mule, tied its legs and then blindfolded it. Captain Bhupinder pushed back all the seats. The animal was then carried inside the helicopter. As the chopper took off, the sedation was key as an underdose could have led to the mule waking up in mid-air, and in panic damaging the aircraft, which may have been fatal.

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An overdose, on the other hand, could have led to a cardiac arrest. Fortunately, the nerve-wracking 28-km journey was completed successfully, and the mule, now named "Hope", is recovering in a hospital in Guptkashi. Kamna Pandey, co-opted member, Animal Welfare Board of India, said: "This goes to show what just a few men can do. The authorities should take a lesson. Around 1200 mules are still stuck in Uttarakhand."