Hiker in Alpine crevasse rescued... by a chihuahua

An empty gondola goes up in Zermatt, Switzerland, Dec.3, 2020. (AP Photo/Jamey Keaten)

When it comes to mountain rescues, St. Bernards may have met their match, with a chihuahua being hailed for helping save a man who fell into a glacier crevasse in Switzerland.

The “extraordinary” rescue took place last Friday on the Fee Glacier above Saas-Fee in the southern Swiss Alps, the Air Zermatt rescue service said in a statement over the weekend.

A man had been hiking on the glacier with his chihuahua early Friday afternoon, when he suddenly plunged into an eight-metre (26-foot) deep crevasse, leaving the tiny dog alone on the edge.

The man was carrying an amateur walkie-talkie and managed to call for help, but rescue workers long struggled to locate the site of the accident.

“On site, the search for the collapse site proved difficult. The glacier surface was wide and the hole was barely visible,” Air Zermatt, a regional rescue service in Wallis canton, said.

But then one of the rescuers spotted a small movement on a rock: the chihuahua had not budged from the edge of the crevasse.

“Thanks to the dog’s behaviour, the crew was able to locate the exact site of the accident,” Air Zermatt said, adding that “rescuers abseiled down to the casualty and were able to save him”.

“It is fair to say that his behaviour contributed significantly to the successful rescue.”