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Faithful canine saves lives of 14 villagers
View(s):A pet dog became the unlikely saviour of 14 people when it alerted villagers of Maspanna in Uwa Paranagama of an impending landslide that would have buried them alive.
The dog named Chuti was outside its owner’s house as heavy rains fell on November 27. Its owner and family members were in their kitchen, discussing the sudden loss of power and the news that all roads to the village have been cut off due to landslides.
Chuti the saviour
At that moment the dog’s barking became erratic, and its behaviour changed as it kept hitting the kitchen door with its front legs.
Chuti's owner: T. M. Tennakoon
T. M. Tennakoon, a retired Forest Department officer who is the owner of the dog, said he assumed the dog might be affected by the cold, and attempted to take the animal indoors.
“But the dog refused to come inside and ran away from the house barking as if at an intruder, and suddenly I heard the mountain behind the house slipping downwards and stones cascading. I realised the house would soon be caught in a landslide” he said.
He said that he then darted out of the house with his wife and her mother, shouting out that the hill was sliding down. 11 of their neighbours saved their lives acting on his warning.
Mr. Tennakoon added that some kiosks and a bus stand along with buses went under earth hurtling down from the mountain.
“The Maspanna post office, 13 shops and four buses went under the landslide, and if not for our dog 11 neighbors and the three of us would have been entombed under earth. Chuti sensed the danger and saved us” he said.
Pix and Text by
K.R. Rajamanthri
14 lives were saved by an alert Chuti, before a landslide brought destruction to Maspanna
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