A wolf-dog hybrid is recovering after being freed from a heavy, steel pipe that was stuck on her head, encasing her face down to the neck.
The incident happened Tuesday in a mountainous part of Boulder County, and several local groups coordinated efforts to save the animal, which had become dehydrated and stressed, according to a media release from the Boulder Emergency Squad.
The animal’s owner, Kay Simmons, told The Daily Camera that 3-year-old Marina got stuck in the pipe in her large backyard, and she called for help about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The rescue took several hours, and a side grinder — a hand-held power tool — was used to cut away the 6-inch diameter, 1/2-inch thick pipe.
At the scene, rescuers cut the 8-foot section of pipe down to about 12 inches, so the animal could be taken to a veterinary clinic in Golden, about 20 miles away, where the pipe was painstakingly cut again to free the animal about 7 p.m.
Members of the Boulder Emergency Squad (BES), Coal Creek Fire Department, Boulder County Parks and Open Space, and Boulder County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control helped rescue the wolf hybrid, along with the veterinarian and clinic staff.
The animal suffered a few scrapes in the ordeal but is expected to make a full recovery, a BES spokesman said.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
