An Australian shepherd named Nanuq recently embarked on a remarkable 150-mile journey across the frozen Bering Sea near Alaska. After being missing for a month, the plucky 1-year-old pup was finally found in Wales, some 150 miles northeast of Savoonga in the Bering Strait. Nanuq’s incredible journey left his family baffled and amazed, and has made him an instant celebrity on Alaskan social media.
Lost and Found: A Harrowing Journey Across the Frozen Sea
Nanuq had been visiting Savoonga, Alaska with his owner Mandy Iworrigan and his sister Starlight. Both canine siblings vanished partway through the visit, and while Starlight turned up a few weeks later, her brother was nowhere to be found. The family scoured the town for Nanuq the next day, but to no avail, so they returned home after enlisting some friends to keep their eyes peeled for the wayward canine. Fortunately, the family received word that their pooch was in Wales, some 150 miles away from home.
Residents of the town had started circulating photos of a missing pooch, which caught the eye of Iworrigan’s father.
“My dad texted me and said, ‘There’s a dog that looks like Nanuq in Wales,’” said the owner. The lost pup turned up to be indeed Nanuq.
However, getting her beloved pooch home was no easy feat, as there are no direct flights from Wales to St. Lawrence Island.
After enlisting the help of a friend, Iworrigan was able to get Nanuq on a charter transporting kids from Wales to Gambell for a Junior Olympics tournament. He was packed aboard on a crate lent to her by a teacher. A heartwarming Facebook video shows Irrowigan’s 8-year-old daughter shrieking excitedly as she sprints towards the aircraft’s cargo hold to greet her long-lost dog.
A Journey of Epic Adventures
Nanuq’s family is still baffled as to how he ended up more than 150 miles away from home, but they speculate that he got up to some adventures during his journey across the sea ice. “I have no idea why he ended up in Wales. Maybe the ice shifted while he was hunting,” Iworrigan said. Despite his grueling ordeal, Nanuq was in near-perfect health, except for two large bite marks from an unidentified animal.
The family is happy to have their beloved Nanuq back home safe and sound. Nanuq’s incredible journey has captured the hearts of people around the world.
