Luna, a Malinois dog, ran away from her home after a break-in and is living in a vlei between Ferreira and Ehmke streets since February. The dog has gone feral and has been living in the vlei since then, refusing to be approached.

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The director of Lowveld Venom Suppliers, Chris Hobkirk, is working with Rika Venter, the operations manager of Unleashed K9 Solutions, to help catch Luna.

“We tried to put sedatives in her food, but it hasn’t worked,” Hobkirk explained.

Luna only feels comfortable around Venter and Hobkirk and allows them to get close to her. “The other problem is that this vlei is so dense that it’s impossible to get her out, without her moving around,” Hobkirk said.

Venter and Hobkirk are trying to lure her out of the vlei by approaching her at the quietest times of the day and, therefore, ask the public to respect their mission.

The Nelspruit SPCA also urged the public to let the professionals handle the operation.

“We understand the concerns of the community and appreciate your care. However, we request the public to leave it in the hands of professional animal welfare specialists.”

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Venter gave her latest update on the operation:

“We will update all news outlets and other role players as soon as we have had a positive outcome.”