Earlier this week, Hong Kong Dog Rescue’s (HKDR) six-member search team was successful in bringing missing dog Aladdin home.
In what is an epic story, Aladdin was found 45 days after his disappearance – during which he managed to cross the Cross Harbour Tunnel from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon.
Before Aladdin’s emotional saga began, he had struggling to find a home due to his reluctance to walk on a leash. However, the family who fostered his sister, Gaby, soon took him in. The two dogs were happily reunited and progress was made with Aladdin’s leash issues.
This all changed on Saturday, May 23, marking the start of a 45-day chase.
After being startled by a loud sound, Aladdin slipped his out of his collar and ran off out of sight in a parking bay in Braemar Hill Mansions.
In the first sighting of Aladdin the morning after his disappearance, a security guard who failed to catch him saw him running out of Braemar Hill Mansion’s gates towards Causeway Bay.
The next sighting placed him in Wan Chai, but by the time reports came in of Aladdin whereabouts, he had moved to Central district. By then, posters went up on every streetlamp and signpost in the area offering up a reward of HKD 20,000 for Aladdin’s capture and safe return.
Aladdin then undertook his now-infamous run through the cross-harbour tunnel on June 7 at 4am, as captured on CCTV.
Once Aladdin emerged from the tunnel into Hung Hom, the investigation took a turn for the worse. Reports of Aladdin’s whereabouts began to dry out to a trickle, and the only sightings were false.
The commitment of the volunteer search team did not, however, waiver.
Eventually luck seemed to be on the turn again, as two consecutive sightings of Aladdin arose in the same area. Upon hearing the news, HKDR founder Sally Anderson made her way to meet with the leader of Aladdin’s search team, “Auntie Sue”, on Friday evening July 3.
A recce was done of the area to no avail, but in an effort to contain Aladdin, a member of the search party camped out on Tung Lo Wan Hill Road while the others scoured the reservoir.
Suddenly, in the pitch dark, Aladdin was spotted!… but he ran off as soon as he was called! Little…
Confirming that Aladdin was indeed in the area, and not wanting to scare him off, the search team laid low and waited until the next day to launch their trap.
On Saturday, volunteers left out some deliciously fragrant food and waited with baited breath into the evening.
As predicted, Aladdin made an appearance but ignored all the offerings like a total snob. He’d obviously been eating well on the streets. Capture was again avoided.
When Sunday morning came about it was clear that the “lavish buffet” presented the night before was indeed inticing enough, as it was raided by everything but dear Aladdin. Even a monkey was seen stuffing his cheeks!
Frustrated and beleaguered, the volunteers could do nothing but resupply their depleted trap and continue to wait and watch in shifts.
After they heard barking at 9pm on Sunday night, a member of the group’s “A Team” of dog catchers finally managed to catch collar Aladdin!
Thank heavens for that!
The details of Aladdin’s extravagant journey are not well known, however, it is believed that he started at Braemar Hill, shot around Causeway Bay, Wan Chai and Central before heading back to the Cross Harbour Tunnel entrance at Causeway Bay and exiting at Hung Hom. He is them believed to have taken a directly Northern route via Lion’s Rock and on to Tai Wai in Sha Tin.
The suspected route
The incredible story of Aladdin will come to a close this Sunday, July 12, when there will be a party held for all the volunteers who contributed to the effort at Whiskers N Paws in Horizon Plaza, Ap Lei Chau.
Naturally, Aladdin is the guest of honour… and will be very closely watched!
