Safe and sound: Dogs trapped by volcano rescued as their story moves the nation

A GROUP of Podenco hounds walled in for days by volcanic ash on the island of La Palma whose plight reached international media are safe, according to the latest happy twist in the rollercoaster drama – and photos have appeared on Twitter to prove it.

Emergency services permanently at work on the Canarian island, having been coordinating evacuations and controlling fires caused by the lava, have been keeping close watch on the dogs, whose location was considered practically impossible to reach by humans on foot.

Although they were out of the danger zone, they have lost weight due to a limited food supply – smaller drones brought them food and water once a day - and needed proper care, as well as to be placed safely away from the potentially toxic fumes, dust and smoke in the atmosphere as the Cumbre Viejo volcano continues in eruption.

A petition was launched on Change.org calling for the hounds to be rescued by drones, given that volunteers had come forward with the knowledge and skills to do so.

It did not take long – barely 24 hours, in fact – since the petition went viral before officials drafted in these unmanned aircraft to lift the dogs to safety, but before they had time to take off, the animals had vanished.

Fruitless search and mystery sign: Who are 'The A-Team'?

A handwritten message was found nearby, signed off by 'The A-Team', and assuring that the hounds were now rescued and in safe hands.

The drone firm Aerocámara had travelled from Galicia in the far north-west of mainland Spain, but after two days of searching for the dogs, had to give up and return to base.

Only human footprints were found in the ash-filled ponds in the village of Todoque, said Aerocámara, and their operators pledged to remain in close contact with authorities and animal shelters so as to be ready to set off at a second's notice if the dogs were found.

Aerocámara said they did not believe the animals would have wandered off by themselves, pointing out that dogs being given food and water daily would typically stay there waiting for their next meal, rather than straying off over hot lava.

It was only after the hounds' disappearance reached the national media that a huge white bed-sheet with writing in red letters was found by the Todoque ponds, reading: “Stay strong, La Palma. The dogs are okay. The A-Team.”

Major animal rescue operations across La Palma

Hundreds of animals, from family pets to feral cats, have been rescued since the eruption began and are being held in shelters or cared for by emergency service workers until those who have owners can be reunited with them.

A fireman reportedly rescued a cat and kept her, naming her Laguna, after the area where he found her.

Canary Island animal welfare authorities have since revealed that 'anonymous persons' rescued the dogs – although it is not clear how, given that they would have had to traipse over cooling lava of between 40ºC and 60ºC – and that they have been attended to by vets.

They are now in established animal protection facilities and said to be in good health, other than their weight loss.

An inquiry will be launched into who owns them and why they were not reported as trapped or missing from the start, given that their presence was only detected by drone footage at the beginning of this month.

But the local hunting society claims the hounds' owners had been working on a rescue strategy for several days and it was probably they who had saved them, and stressed that the dogs had 'never been abandoned to their fate'.

British tourists failed in rescue attempt...and fell foul of police

In the meantime, four British men who were warned off by police after being spotted taking selfies against a backdrop of the erupting volcano spoke to a UK newspaper to explain they had been trying to rescue the dogs.

Fines and even criminal proceedings can be taken against anyone who goes beyond the cordoned-off zone and gets too close to the volcano, putting themselves and, potentially, emergency services who go to their aid, in serious danger.

Personal trainer and bodybuilder Seb Jones, 33, and his friends Andy Flavell, Tom Whaite and Zack Hurley did not get near enough to even see the dogs before the smoke and ash beat them back.

Seb told the Daily Mail that the four are animal-lovers and are especially fond of dogs, and as they are all experienced hikers and climbers, decided to give the rescue a try.

He admitted, though, that although they had been attracted by the idea of a 'volcano hike', they had underestimated the sheer magnitude of the damage and how hard it would be to get near.

The group, who had taken a ferry to La Palma from their holiday villa in Tenerife – but which was delayed for three hours, meaning they arrived as it was getting dark – said the sky was 'blood red' and they could hear the roaring of the volcano over the sound of their hired car.

A four-hour hike across a platform of ash a metre high, with burning ash raining down on them, trying to shelter behind the charred remains of trees, they had to give up as they could not breathe.

Back near the houses still standing, they heard the dogs whining and barking close by, but could not locate them.

Given that entering the volcano 'exclusion zone' is a criminal offence, and whoever rescued the Podencos would have needed to have done so, it seems unlikely they will reveal their identity publicly.