In a heart-warming incident, activists in Hyderabad saved three puppies from an abandoned drain, as part of a brave rescue operation last week.
Activists from the NGO Animal Warriors India (AWI), were alerted after residents in Nallakunta heard the puppies' cries from a manhole.
A video of the rescue, which shows the rescuers squeeze into a narrow drain to pull out the scared puppies, has been receiving accolades on social media.
Speaking to TNM, Pradeep Nair from AWI said, "The incident happened on June 2. The mother dog gave birth around one month ago in the abandoned stormwater drain, where there were 1 or 2 feet deep pits in between the narrow pipeline."
"After they grew a bit older, she tried to bring them outside, but the puppies fell into the pit and got stuck. Two puppies managed to get out, while three of them were stuck inside the pipeline," he added.
Activists found concrete slabs covering the pits and put their phones through slits, and found out how the puppies were stuck.
"As soon as we opened one of the slabs, we found one puppy and pulled her out. However, we couldn't open the other slab, and had to crawl through the pipeline to get the second one out," Pradeep said.
"The third puppy was stuck between the pit, and another red pipe, which made it hard for us to pull it out. He was very scared, but we were able to rescue him," he added.
Pradeep also says that dogs regularly do this.
"They find abandoned pipelines as they find these locations safe, to give birth. However, the problem is that, during the rain, water gushes through them, and may wash the puppies away. The idea is to be alert if you hear animals crying for help, and call our helpline immediately," he said.
After the rescue, activists closed the entrance to the pipeline, to ensure that this doesn't recur.
Watch the video of their rescue below.