Dog rescued from world's largest man-made hole after eight days thanks to kind-hearted people throwing food down the diamond mine to keep it alive

Dog, nicknamed Underdog, was spotted at bottom of the mine by tourists



She survived for eight days after people threw food down to her



Took rescuers several attempts to reach her 700ft from the surface

Hundreds of people have applied to adopt Underdog after her ordeal

A dog has been rescued from the world's largest man-made hole after being trapped for eight days.

The dog was kept alive by kind-hearted people who threw food down the disused diamond mine in Kimberley, South Africa.

Emergency workers finally brought the dog, nicknamed Underdog, to safety on Saturday after several rescue attempts had failed.



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The dog, nicknamed Underdog, was spotted at the bottom of the 700ft-deep disused mine

Rescuers used ropes and pulleys to reach the dog who had been trapped for eight days

The disused mine, known as Big Hole, is more than 700ft deep and Underdog was spotted at the bottom last Thursday.



She was first seen by tourists swimming in water at the bottom of the mine as she searched for a way out.

However, it took days to rescue the dog as ropes were not long enough to reach her.

When rescuers from ER24 did finally reach the bottom, the dog was so afraid that she jumped back into the water.

They eventually managed to coax her into a harness and brought her to the service after a five hour operation

However, they eventually managed to coax Underdog into a harness and get her to the top using ropes and pulleys after a five hour operation.

The team said on Twitter that the rescue was 'dangerous' and the depth equivalent to a 50 storey building.

The seven-strong ER24 team and SAP Search and Rescue worked together to bring Underdog to safety.

John Seeley, Northern Cape SAPS, told reporters: 'It was a difficult rescue. It wasn't easy. There were stages that we were thinking of giving up but I think we pursued and the most important thing is the dog is safe.'



The mongrel was treated by a vet but has now been discharged and hundreds of people have offered to adopt her

The mine is the biggest man-made hole in the world and rescuers said it was equivalent to a 50 storey building

She was seen by a vet after reaching the top of the mine and taken to a SPCA animal shelter.



Hundreds of offers to adopt the dog have now been made to the shelter and staff said they will go through each application to find the most suitable home.



After being placed on a drip, ER24 said today that she was well enough to be discharged from the vet.



Diamonds were mined from The Big Hole until it was shut down in 1914 and is now a tourist attraction

By the time the mine was closed 22million tons of earth had been excavated and 3,000 kilograms of diamonds had been found



