Dog Starts Barking Uncontrollably, Leads Owner To Abandoned Baby In Storm Drain

A newborn baby was found in Port Elizabeth, South Africa after Charmaine Keevy’s dachshund Georgie began barking uncontrollably.

Charmaine Keevy, 63, was walking her dachshund Georgie when it suddenly began to bark at a drain duct. At first, Keevy believed that Georgie had heard a cat; however, when the dog refused to stop barking, she had gotten on her hands and knees to try to listen to the sound coming from the drain. It was then that she realized she could hear the cries of a baby. Subsequently, the woman began to frantically wave down the cars which were driving by until Cornie Viljoen, 60, had stopped his vehicle to help.

Viljoen and Keevy successfully rescued the newborn.

After hearing the cries of the baby for himself, Viljoen had used a steel bar to lift the concrete slab so that they could look inside the drain. He had then dropped inside it, and according to the Daily Mail, he had almost immediately begun being stung by red ants. Viljoen commented on the rescue as he said:

The red ants were stinging my legs but then I felt this baby’s leg and then saw the baby and I realised that this was a crime scene so I took a flash picture and handed my phone up to Charmaine. I didn’t know if the baby was injured so I tried to pick her up very carefully and very slowly and she was so small. I just wanted to hold her for a while but I knew that she needed urgent medical help. The baby was lucky the red ants were higher up in the drain and not down at the bottom where she was. I just do not know why anyone could do this to a new born baby but I was just so glad that we were able to help her and save her life. I told Charmaine to call the emergency services right away.

The newborn was rushed to the Dora Nginza Hospital for emergency treatment where she was found to be suffering from hypothermia and respiratory problems. Furthermore, the staff at the hospital has named the newborn baby Grace April. Police spokeswoman Colonel Priscilla Naidu commented: ‘There is a possibility that the person who did this may have come from outside the area and placed the child there. We are appealing for witnesses and the mother of this baby to come forward’.