Yellowstone Rescuers Find 18-Pound Luna After 5 Weeks Alone

Q: What secret scent-trapping method finally caught the elusive dog when traditional baits were too dangerous?

Rescuers finally caught Luna by using her family’s scent rather than food. Because food bait in Yellowstone could attract bears and other wildlife, the rescue team set a humane live “Missy Trap” and baited it with scent items from Luna’s owners, including scraps from a T-shirt and a pillowcase. They also placed a small doghouse inside the trap so it felt like a safe shelter rather than a threatening enclosure. That method worked when Luna, already lingering around the trap area, went inside and settled in the doghouse. Rescuers found her there the next morning. The approach was designed to draw in a frightened, survival-driven dog without creating a new danger from wild animals.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 15

Nearly five weeks after disappearing in Yellowstone, Luna was rescued and reunited Wednesday with one of her owners.
The 10-year-old Jack Russell Terrier/Chihuahua mix weighed 18 pounds before vanishing and returned about 10 pounds lighter, but blood tests were not bad and rescuers said she should recover.
Katie Boucher of Norris Ark Training and Recovery Center said Luna escaped Sept. 10 after housekeeping workers entered a locked rental cabin in Canyon Village while her owners were visiting Norris Geyser, where dogs are not allowed.
The case drew attention because Luna survived alone in Yellowstone despite the park's hazards for both people and animals.