16/01/2026
Nala’s Journey Home - Far North QLD
For five long weeks, Nala was alone.
Just six months into her new home, a storm frightened Nala enough to dig under a fence and disappear. For the first week there were no sightings, only silence and worry, Then, slowly, reports began to come in.
Five kilometres away.
Then eight.
Then ten.
Each sighting told a harder story. Nala was travelling through extreme terrain, crossing highways, climbing steep hills, and moving along waterways known to be home to crocodiles. She was surviving, but extremely vulnerable.
Maremmas are naturally wary of strangers, an instinct needed in a working environment. But when fear takes over and survival mode sets in, that same instinct makes them almost impossible to approach. Although Nala is a companion maremma and friendly at home, once lost she did not recognise her owner or the dog she lived with. Fear had taken over. Anyone who looked her way was enough to send her running.
What followed were weeks of relentless effort. Through extreme heat, heavy rain, flooding, and constant risk, the team worked side by side with Nala’s owner every single day. Including Christmas Day. Each sighting brought hope and heartbreak when she vanished again. Flyer were dropped, doors knocked on, and property owner spoken to. Slowly her travel pattern began to emerge.
Food anchor stations were placed in quiet, safer areas to slow her down. Only when she felt safe enough to stay did we introduce the correct sized trap cage.
Because Nala was terrified, the trap was left unset the first night, allowing her to come and go. The next night, with the team close by to ensure she wasn’t chased, the trap was set. Her travel pattern held.
And after five weeks of fear, uncertainty, and waiting, Nala was secured.
Securing a Maremma is never easy. It takes patience, strategy, emotional resilience, and teamwork. But moments like this, seeing Nala finally back home and super excited to see her owner make’s every exhausting day, every setback, and every worry worth it.
Welcome home, Nala.
Note:
Nala appears on the right hand side of the video’s best to zoom in or go to full screen.
In one of the videos you will see Nala pick up her food bowl and carry it away. It’s the same bowl from her home, something familiar in an unfamiliar world, it’s incredibly cute.
