In a heart-pounding moment of courage and compassion, a baby kittenβs life hangs in the balance as a daring rescue mission unfolds to bring it safely down from the precarious height of a roof. This incredible tale showcases the unwavering determination and resourcefulness of a compassionate individual, whose actions prove that every life, no matter how small, is worth saving.
As the world looked on with bated breath, a tiny, helpless kitten found itself stranded on a roof, its innocent mews echoing through the air. Fear gripped the hearts of those who witnessed the perilous situation, knowing that time was of the essence to save this vulnerable creature from harm.
A compassionate soul, driven by a deep empathy for the kittenβs plight, stepped forward to take on the daunting task of rescue. Armed with determination and a keen problem-solving mindset, they assessed the situation, carefully considering the best course of action.
With ropes, ladders, and a heart filled with unwavering resolve, the rescuer embarked on their mission. Scaling the heights of the building, they navigated the treacherous terrain with utmost caution, their focus fixed on the tiny life they were determined to save.
As they reached the roof, they were met with the sight of the frightened and fragile kitten, teetering on the edge of danger. The rescuerβs heart swelled with both trepidation and determination, understanding the urgency of the situation.
With gentle coaxing and soothing words, they approached the kitten, their presence offering a glimmer of hope amidst the fear that had engulfed the tiny creature. Slowly and patiently, they gained its trust, knowing that every movement had to be precise to ensure the safety of both the rescuer and the rescued.
With steady hands and unwavering determination, the rescuer cradled the fragile kitten, their grip gentle yet firm, protecting the delicate life that rested within their embrace. Step by careful step, they descended, their focus unwavering as they navigated the treacherous path back to solid ground.
As they finally reached safety, a collective sigh of relief resonated through the air. The baby kitten, once perched precariously on the roof, was now cradled in the arms of its savior, surrounded by a circle of grateful and awe-struck onlookers.
This act of bravery and compassion serves as a reminder of the profound impact one person can have on the life of another, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. It exemplifies the power of empathy and the lengths we can go to protect and preserve lifeβs precious creatures.
With the baby kitten safely in their care, the rescuerβs heart filled with a sense of fulfillment and joy. Their selfless actions had given this tiny being a chance to experience love, care, and a future filled with possibilities.
This extraordinary rescue story reminds us all to be vigilant and compassionate, to keep an eye out for those in need, and to extend a helping hand whenever we can. It is a testament to the incredible bonds we can forge with animals and the immeasurable impact we can have on their lives.
The dogs helping find earthquake survivors in Turkey
Trained rescue dogs are helping to find survivors buried underneath layers of concrete and otherwise undetectable.
Hours after two huge earthquakes and hundreds of aftershocks struck southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria on February 6, some much-needed rescuers began to arrive in Turkey β K9 teams from around the world that had come to lend a hand to GEA, a Turkish volunteer rescue team.
K9, a homophone of canine, is a dog specially trained to assist security forces and emergency teams β in rescues, drug enforcement or other operations. These dogs came from, among other countries, El Salvador, Germany, Mexico, Qatar, South Korea, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United States.
The much-welcomed rescuers, who can find victims by scent alone, are needed to help the Turkish K9 teams in desperate operations where buildings as high as 14 storeys have collapsed, making it difficult to find survivors by sight or sound.
REDOG, a K9 volunteer team from Switzerland, is on the ground in the Turkish city of Iskenderun, working with the local GEA team, an all-volunteer search and rescue group.
Since arriving on February 6 near midnight, the team of 10 people and six trained dogs together with GEA have so far found 39 people alive under the rubble.
The dogs are trained to sniff out a human scent, stand at the spot and bark loudly to alert their handlers to the spot where they have found it. A second dog is then released to see if it can confirm the findings.
If the two dogs confirm, this allows human rescuers to concentrate their digging efforts on that particular spot until they find the person.
βI think itβs one of the most emotional moments of my life β¦ the moment when one of our dogs signals to us that he found some people in the rubble,β REDOGβs vice chief for rubble search Matthias Gerber told Al Jazeera.
The dogs work all day in teams of three at rubble sites, taking turns to work 20-minute shifts, followed by 40-minute breaks.
In one case after their dogs signalled the location of where people were buried, human rescuers began digging at the spot and soon heard knocking coming from behind the rubble from the victims trapped inside, confirming what the dogs had already pinpointed.
βEight hours later of hard work, they saved four people alive from this position,β Gian Forster, REDOG team leader who works with three dogs, told Al Jazeera.
Every time a REDOG dog finds a person, he or she is praised and rewarded with a toy or food.
βHe really likes to find people because he gets rewarded every time,β Forster said. βThe main thing is that the dog has fun and likes to search for the people.β
If the survivor isnβt buried too deep, the dogs can pick up on the scent quite quickly. But some buildings in Iskenderun have six floors that have collapsed with 2-3 metres (4-6 feet) of concrete pancaked in between each level, making it a challenge to find people buried more deeply.
βIf it takes time for the scent to come up, we have to go [to the spot of debris] and remove some [floors of] rubble and try again. Itβs quite a hard process if the person is buried that deep,β Gerber said.
Describing a recent rescue, Gerber said: βWe arrived at the rubble field and we started searching on top of the roof of the building, and we didnβt get any scent there. And then Gian thought about how the wind is coming from the west, so we searched the east side of the rubble and there, the dogs [detected] the scent from the person.β
The dogs working with REDOG on the ground in Turkey β among them labradors, German shepherds, Belgian shepherds, border collies and golden retrievers β have up to seven yearsβ experience working in rescue missions and have helped find survivors after disasters in Japan, Nepal and Albania.
But, Gerber said, in the last 30 years of his rescue dog work, the current mission in Turkey is the most challenging and tragic that he has experienced, referring to the scale of destruction.
βFor our dogs, itβs very hard if there is so much rubble on top of the victims to find them. Itβs a big obstacle for us. Itβs good if we can come back to the same rubble site after they removed some floors of rubble and search again, because then weβll have a chance to find people alive even if theyβre buried very deep,β Gerber said.
Murat Kurum, the Turkish minister of environment, urbanisation and climate change, has said that more than 41,700 buildings in 10 affected provinces in the countryβs southeast had either collapsed, urgently needed to be torn down or were severely damaged, according to state news agency Anadolu.
At least 1,791 buildings in 10 provinces that were affected have been identified as being severely damaged or requiring immediate demolition.
βItβs horrible what happened here. All these collapsed buildings, all these people who lost their relatives, their homes. Itβs horrible,β Gerber said.
βWe are happy to help here with our dogs, to get people out alive. Itβs really important. It really moves me that we can help here.β
So far, of the 2,000 calls that GEA has received, REDOG, working with the GEA, has answered about 200 of them, he said.
California-based NGO National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF) has trained seven of the 12 rescue dogs deployed from the US currently searching for survivors in Turkey.
Denise Sanders, director of communications and search team operations, told Al Jazeera that the dogs are βso much better at detecting scents than any technology that we haveβ.
βThey run over the top of rubble and do whatβs called air sensing. Theyβre picking up those scent particles in the air and then following their nose quite literally to the strongest scent source, and that would be the point of the potential victim,β Sanders said.
Knowing from past experience working in the aftermath of earthquakes such as in Haiti, she said dogs have shown that they are able to sniff βvery distinct scents that are very dispersed in the airβ, as deep as 6-9 metres (20-30 feet) below the surface.
βIn Haiti in particular, we had collapsed buildings that had been six, seven storeys tall that pancake-collapsed β¦ We know that the dogs were able to locate [the survivors] and alert,β Sanders said.
For a dog to be trained and skilled at finding survivors, they naturally need to have drive, determination and βboundless energyβ, Sanders said.
βThis is not your pet that you toss the toy for in the back yard a couple of times and they kind of get tired and lay down. These dogs will go until they drop, until you tell them itβs time to stop.
βThat kind of resilience and determination is exactly what we needβ¦ theyβre [on the ground] for one, two weeks and they need to cover a massive area, and check so many different sites and run over so many different mountains of rubble.
βThey donβt necessarily make great pets [due to their high energy]; they are not able to settle quite as well as the average dog, so we really try to channel that into a job that they love.β
The K9 rescuers are dedicated to their work, and they face as many dangers as their human partners do. Proteo, a German shepherd working with the Mexican rescue team in Kahramanmaras, died this past week when the remains of a building he was searching in fell on him. He has been honoured as a hero by the Mexican defence ministry.
The members of the Mexican army and air force. We deeply regret the loss of our great companion, the dog: Proteo. You fulfilled your mission as a member of the Mexican delegation in the search and rescue of our brothers in Turkey. Thank you for your heroic work.
Leave a Reply