Great critter story and a good example of how resilient some animals can be. From the Montana Standard comes this story of The Auditor:
Mongrel calls Berkeley Pit home for 16 years
Within the environmentally hostile confines of the Berkeley Pit lives perhaps Superfund's most amazing paradox. Its name is "The Auditor."
Its genus is Canus, but its species -- if indeed there ever were another single dog like it on the planet -- would be nothing other than extraordinarius.
This mysterious mongrel has called the 5,000-acre contaminated expanse of the Berkeley Pit federal Superfund site, combined with Montana Resources' active mine permit area, its home since 1986. Ironically, its only help in surviving has come from the compassion of miners.
"He really is a neat dog," says MR Operations President Steve Walsh.
The Auditor, who got his name by always showing up "when you least expected it," has served as the open pit copper mine's de facto mascot since its employees befriended the stray nearly 16 years ago. Numerous snap shots of him are proudly placed alongside ore samples and awards plaques in the main office's glass display case.
Here is a little background on where he lives:
"God only knows what he does all day," says MR employee Ron Benton. "You've got to won der why an animal would choose a place so forlorn."
Forlorn indeed. Not a single blade of grass, nary a tree, shrub or weed can survive on the acidic crust that dominates this animal's yard. Reeking of sulfur and acidity, this is the kind of soil that eats men's boots, let alone the feet of any normal dog.
And the water here is lethal, should you suppose he walks on that.
In 1995, the deceptively calm surface of the Pit infamously claimed the lives of 342 snow geese that made the mistake of a migratory stop.
"It's unbelievable how it could live in a place that's supposed to be so toxic," says local veterinarian Ed Peretti. "He's one tough dog, I'll tell you that."
