This is the moment a group of animal lovers rescued three helpless puppies who were abandoned by their owner in a tar pit.

The distressed dogs were found trapped by passerbys in Noyabrsk, Russia.

Volunteers managed to free three of the pups, but a fourth died during the rescue operation.

The four distressed dogs were found trapped by passerbys in Noyabrsk, Russia

One unnamed volunteer who took part in the rescue operation said: ‘We tried to take the tar off their skin until midnight.

‘We managed to remove only the biggest pieces of tar, it was glued to their very skin.’

Vet Nikolay Kostuk was called to the scene and said he would put the puppies to sleep temporarily to remove the remainder of the tar so it was not too painful for them.

The puppies were abandoned by their owners in a tar pit and could not get out

Volunteers worked for hours to free the animals and managed to save three of the puppies

One volunteer who took part in the rescue operation said: ‘We tried to take the tar off their skin until midnight’

Volunteer, Olga Beliakova, said: ‘The puppies just can’t die now. A lot of people took part in their salvation.

‘They are very weak though as they spent a long time lying in the tar and one of them got tar inside of his mouth.’