Chopper sent in to find lost beagle
A helicopter with specialist thermal gear has scoured bush for a lost pet beagle in the Belmont Regional Park, but to no avail.
Dog owner Matt Newman-Hall said his 5-year-old beagle Benny went missing on Friday during a group walk at the Dry Creek entrance of the large north Wellington park.
The dog-walking company’s liability insurance covered the cost of the thermal imaging search by helicopter on Tuesday. NewmanHall, his wife Grace, the SPACE national rescue unit and some 50 volunteers have all helped.
The unsuccessful helicopter search would not slow down the foot search, Newman-Hall said.
‘‘We may have to accept at some point he’s gone, but closure won’t be there unless we have some answers.’’
Newman-Hall’s other beagle, Spike, also helped search and was ‘‘off-colour’’ without Benny.
The weather in Lower Hutt has been bitterly cold, with a light dusting of snow on the nearby Upper Hutt hills.
Trap and Trigger Thermal Technology director Jordan Munn spent two hours scouring a kilometre-wide radius from Benny’s last known location.
The service costs between $800 and $1000 a day, not including over $1000 an hour for the helicopter.
The heat signatures of 50 birds, two deer, a handful of hare and a bucket of compost from a weed crop were spotted – but no dog.
‘‘There’s a lot of variables and we can’t control where exactly the dog is.’’
Greater Wellington Regional Council park ranger Jeremy Paterson said the council wasn’t involved in searching the 3500-hectare park. He said dogs could survive more than two or three weeks in the bush.