In June 2026, an 83-year-old man went missing for nearly 30 hours after entering the mountains of Wufeng, Yichang, Hubei. The terrain was steep, wooded, and cut by gullies. After a rescue team searched for more than twelve hours, police dog Jufeng found the crucial trail in a mountain hollow about six kilometers from the man's home, helping rescuers reach the injured elder in time.

Changleping Town, Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County, Yichang, Hubei, China

Thirty long hours in the mountains

At 2 p.m. on June 2, an 83-year-old man went into the mountains and did not return. His family searched without success. The next morning, they called police. Officers in Wufeng organized a search with drones, police dogs, and rescue personnel, trying to turn a wide mountain area into something that could be followed step by step.

According to Jimu News, by 8 p.m. on June 3, darkness had covered the mountains around Changleping Town. The rescue team had searched for about twelve continuous hours. The terrain was high, wooded, crossed by gullies, and thick with vegetation. Every small path could be a clue, or another bend back into uncertainty.

The first signal came from Jufeng

During that long search, police dog Jufeng gave the key response. The report described the cry of 'Found him! Here!' breaking the stillness of the mountain forest. The first to signal was not a person, but a police dog named Jufeng.

Using scent and training, Jufeng located the man in a mountain hollow about six kilometers from his home. It was not a place easily seen by human eyes. Trees blocked sight lines, paths twisted, and gullies slowed each step. To people, the mountain was almost silent; to a trained dog, scent still left a narrow path.

Injured and trapped, but still in time

The elderly man had fallen and become trapped in the mountains. Rescuers quickly sent him to a local health center. Public reports said his condition later became stable and that his life was not in danger. For his family, nearly thirty hours of fear finally had an answer.

The value of this kind of rescue often lies in the words 'still in time.' A colder night, further exhaustion, changing injuries, or difficult terrain could all have made the danger worse. Jufeng did not find an abstract coordinate; he found an elderly person whose family was waiting.

Training became direction when it mattered

A police dog cannot explain what it senses, nor describe the subtle difference between smells. What it can do is turn repeated training into action: scenting, searching, moving forward, and signaling when it matters most.

This rescue depended on coordination among drones, officers, terrain judgment, and the police dog. This archive records Jufeng not to give one link all the credit, but to place the animal contribution where it belongs. His nose, stamina, and focus helped pull an almost invisible clue out of the mountain night.

Silent partners deserve to be remembered

Hubei's police dogs routinely assist in rescue, security, searches, and investigations. In the same report, Jimu News noted that police dog teams across Hubei helped find 152 missing people in 2025. Behind that number are many joint journeys by humans and animals that never become long stories.

Jufeng's story belongs here because it shows another gentle side of working animals: they are not only executors of commands, but partners who can bring people back toward safety. Sometimes protection is quiet: a dog lowers its head and keeps moving through soil, grass, and night.

Timeline

• 2026-06-02 14:00 The 83-year-old man entered the mountains and went missing; his family searched without success.
• Morning of 2026-06-03 The family called police; Wufeng officers organized drones, police dogs, and search personnel.
• 2026-06-03 20:00 After about twelve hours of mountain search, police dog Jufeng found the key trail.
• Soon after The man was found injured and trapped in a mountain hollow about six kilometers from home.
• After rescue He was taken to a local health center; public reports said he was stable and not in life-threatening danger.
• 2026-06-11 Jimu News reported the rescue.

Public source

• Jimu News: 83-year-old missing nearly 30 hours found; first signal came from police dog Jufeng