Yahoo – AFP,
Yemeli ORTEGA, September 23, 2017
Mexico City (AFP) - With protective goggles fitted under her furry ears and boots on all four paws, Frida wags her tail as she scales the mountains of rubble left by this week's devastating earthquake in Mexico.
Mexico City (AFP) - With protective goggles fitted under her furry ears and boots on all four paws, Frida wags her tail as she scales the mountains of rubble left by this week's devastating earthquake in Mexico.
The golden
labrador is using her sense of smell to try to detect any survivors left in the
wreckage of buildings brought down on Tuesday by the 7.1-magnitude earthquake.
The
courageous canine has become iconic in Mexico, a four-legged symbol of the
solidarity behind the rescue operations whose fame has been spread on
television and social media.
One man in
Mexico's northeast has even had her image tattooed on his arm. And a t-shirt
maker is selling a line with her face above the slogan "We can be
heroes."
The dog is
part of the Canine Unit of Mexico's Navy, which has been active at the sites of
39 buildings brought down in the quake.
Frida was
notably deployed at a collapsed school in the capital's south where 19 children
and six adults died. Officials say there is still the possibility that an adult
is trapped alive in the debris.
"Frida
is a specialist in detecting people alive under rubble," her handler,
Petty Officer Israel Arauz told AFP.
In her
career, which included being sent to Ecuador for a major earthquake last year,
she has saved 12 lives, he said.
When she
turns up, many Marines drop their stern military demeanor to rush to pet her
and have a photo taken alongside her.
"She
brings joy, tenderness and hope. Civilians salute her and applaud her in the
street," said one soldier as he rubbed her belly.
The dog's
personality is "very gentle, but also very strong temperamentally,"
Arauz said, adding that she would likely be retired next year when she turns
eight.
"For
me, it's an honor to handle her on these missions," he said.
Dogs lost
and found
The
spontaneous display of solidarity in Mexico against natural disasters has been
a source of surprise and inspiration internationally.
Media
around the world covering this week's quake have highlighted the generosity of
Mexicans who have donated food, medicine and basic supplies, as well as the
volunteers who have leaped forward to help professional emergency crews to
remove rubble.
That same
rush to help can be seen with dog-owners.
"We
have come to support the UNAM brigade to detect people and rescue them,"
said Jean Louis Zuniga, an amateur dog trainer who turned up at a collapsed
building with several of his charges, including a labrador, a border collie, a
boxer and a pitbull.
But dogs
weren't only part of the rescue teams -- they were also among the quake's
victims. Several died, others became trapped in the rubble after losing their
owners or becoming injured.
Many have
been rescued, with some being hauled out of windows on ropes.
There are
also free veterinarian clinics dotted around the city to look after injured
animals, and centers dispensing dog food and medicine.
"I'm
so desperate, I am looking for my Candy," said Cecilia Vega, a university
student ceaselessly going to each center, with a photograph in hand of her
chihuahua missing since the earthquake.
Like Candy,
many dogs have been found without owners. Images of them have started to
circulate on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, on forums created especially.
"She's
called Precious and she got lost during the earthquake. She has problems
breathing and is skittish," read one posting on the Twitter feed of
@MascotasSismo (translated as QuakePets), under the image of a white dog with
the tongue hanging out.
"Back
with his owners!" read another, showing Brook, a grey pitbull.
No comments:
Post a Comment