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Dog trapped in 81-foot hole for 6 days rescued

By COURTESY DLNR

Nov. 7, 2019

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Video courtesy DLNR
When a 1-year-old hunting dog named Orange fell 81 feet into a shaft in the Lihue-Koloa Forest Reserve on Kauai, it was a state botanist who came to his rescue.
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A one-year-old Catahoula hunting dog named Orange fell into a pit in the Koloa section of the Lihue-Koloa Forest Reserve on Saturday.
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The dog's owner, Tarvan Orsatelli, had a GPS tracker on him and was able to locate him quickly.
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Tarvan Orsatelli, with his family and friends, would lower food and water into the hole over the past five days, trying to figure out how to extract him.
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They knew Orange was alive from the whimpers and howls.
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DLNR officials said it is believed that the vertical, tubular-shaped cavern is part of an old water irrigation system.
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The Kauai Fire Department was initially called for help. However, the ladders were only 25 feet long, while the hole was 81 feet deep.
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On Thursday, botanist Adam Williams, also an experienced climber, was enlisted to rappel into the hole to rescue Orange.
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Adam Williams rigged his climbing gear, tied off to a stout Guava tree and began lowering himself down. Williams also carried a radio and air monitoring device to the bottom with him.
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Adam Williams was at the bottom of the hole within a few minutes and found the dog very excited to see him.
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Adam Williams bundled Orange into a small canvas bag before the people standing above began to slowly pull him to safety.
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Adam Williams said he could see Orange kicking the sides of the duffel, but once above ground, he quickly exited the bag and shook himself off.
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Owner Tarvan Orsatelli said Orange has a few scrapes and clearly lost some weight during his ordeal.
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DLNR officials said animal control officer Kewehi Harris of the Kauai Humane Society took Orange in to be checked by a veterinarian.
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Owner Tarvan Orsatelli said Orange is shaping up to be one of his best hunting dogs.
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