New footage of Valerie, a miniature dachshund who went missing in 2023, shows her exploring a trap and playing with a food box.

Despite the passage of more than 500 days since she escaped her enclosure on Kangaroo Island in South Australia, Valerie remains on the loose.

Kangala Wildlife Rescue, the organization leading the search, reports that the disruption to the local wildlife and the need to handle Valerie with care have complicated efforts to capture her. However, they are set to employ new technology that might bring to an end this saga which has captured global attention.

In November 2023, Valerie was visiting Kangaroo Island with her owners, Georgia Gardner and Josh Fishlock. She managed to escape from her enclosure shortly after their arrival. The subsequent search for her was eventually halted.

In March of the current year, there were several reported sightings of the small 4kg dog.

Concerns have been raised about the impact Valerie could have on the island’s native wildlife, many of which are endangered species. There are also speculations that Valerie might have become a feral animal.

Experts suggest she might be surviving by scavenging roadkill or the waste of other animals, or possibly even preying on the native fauna herself.

Conversely, there is hope that Valerie might be reunited with her family.

Kangala is utilizing webcams linked to 4G to detect Valerie and has set up a trap baited with some of her favorite treats.

Recently, Kangala shared a video on Facebook of Valerie interacting with a strategically placed food box, displaying a wagging tail as she attempted to open it. Although she didn’t succeed in accessing the box, she discovered food that Kangala had hidden in the area.

The group noted in their Facebook post that Valerie’s favorite seems to be roast chicken, which has also attracted other wildlife to the bait.

A second video posted on Wednesday captured Valerie inside a cage at the trap site, where she was sniffing around various objects.

Kangala has stated that Valerie visits the trap site regularly and is becoming “confident” in her movements, though she vanishes for several days between visits.

The trap has been arranged to resemble Valerie’s home, complete with her toys, bed, her mother’s clothing, hidden food, and activities to keep her entertained.

Kangala acknowledges that while usually a dog would trigger the trap or someone nearby would manually do so, the variable presence of island wildlife in the trap and Valerie’s occasional visits have made her capture challenging.

They have been developing a remote trigger system utilizing mobile phone networks, with the final component expected to arrive this week.

Kangala posted on Facebook that after some trials and adjustments, the system appears to be functional, offering renewed hope for Valerie’s capture.