A clip of a man jumping into a fast-flowing river in Phayao province to save a dog touched the hearts of Thais on social media in a video that went viral on Wednesday.
Boontavee Moonsri, 53, a driver who was driving along the river bank on Wednesday morning noticed a dog floating, exhausted, and nearly drowning in the swift current of the river. The river was much higher and faster than usual due to flash flooding in the northern province.
Parking near the bridge, with a fast rescue instinct intact, he took off his clothes, ran down the river bank, and risked his life swimming into the dangerous water to save the poor, drowning black pup.
The brave man said, “I didn’t think anything at that moment, just saving its life.”
Nak Nutdanai, who posted the video, which has been viewed 467,000 times, was shouting and helping Boontavee to guide him to see where the dog was.
Within 10 minutes, the heroic Boontavee rescued the dog, brought it up to dry land, and it ran away. Thai PBS reported that the black dog is now home with its owner in Chiang Muan.
Reflecting on the incident, Boontavee said he was “delighted to save the dog’s life.”
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