- Turkey -
February’s devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria killed many animals and people and destroyed and damaged countless buildings.
After all these weeks, as rescuers are still miraculously pulling survivors out of the rubble, the rescue of a Siberian Husky named Aleks is making the headlines internationally as the furbaby was found alive after being trapped for more than twenty days.
Aleks was found on March 2, 2023, in the southern Hatay province’s Antakya district by HAYTAP’s workers. HAYTAP is an animal rights federation.
A video by itv NEWS posted on HAYTAP’s Facebook page shows rescuers crawling through the dust and the dirt, crouching inside a small hollow in the debris of the collapsed two-story building. Aleks’ guardian, Mr. Murat Arici, can be heard whistling and calling out to him to draw him out.
After two hours of work, Mr. Osman Polat, a HAYTAP worker, pulled Aleks out. The furbaby was given water and much needed love and cuddles.
Mr. Arici, had called HAYTAP after he heard his dog’s barks coming from the rubble.
Mr. Polat said that Aleks had lost some weight but was generally in good health and was taken to HAYTAP Field Hospital for treatment.
Mr. Polat told a local news outlet: “We realized the dog was alive after checking the debris. The area was very small. He was trapped under the rubble. There was a small hole where only the dog's nose could fit. I dug there with a chisel. We cut the iron by opening it with my hands. Somehow, I got to the dog out.” He then added: “Surviving 22 days in that hole without eating or drinking anything is really a miracle.”
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Bless Aleks, bless all the souls that endured this horrible earthquake.