He gave his life to save someone else’s. The fact that it had four legs instead of two in no way diminishes the girth of its prey. Belgian shepherd Proteo, a rescue dog with the Mexican army who was sent to quake-hit areas to sniff for signs of life in the rubble, has died while searching for survivors of the earthquake in Turkey. to announce it Sunday on Twitter, the Ministry of Defense of the Central American country: «You have fulfilled your mission as a member of the Mexican delegation in the search and rescue of our brothers in Turkey – reads a mourning note -. Thank you for your heroic work!”
The cause of death
Second what is reported in the same social network from the coordinator Unitar (United Nations Institute for Training and Research) Aminollah Faisal, the animal would have died “of exhaustion”. However, according to other sources, it would have been overwhelmed by a collapse. In any case, he appears to have helped save “at least two people.” “I want to tell you that I’m proud of you because you’ve always been a strong and hardworking dog who never gave up – his handler tearfully explained in a video shared on TikTok -. Now I just have to thank you for bringing me here, unfortunately you can’t come back with me. I will always remember. I hope all of Mexico never forgets you.”
Reputable CV
In addition to Proteus, Mexico (a highly earthquake-prone nation) sent another fifteen specimens to Turkey: nine from the army, four from the Red Cross, and two from the navy. They are all busy on the field and willing to uphold the honor of their predecessors. In fact, rescue dogs had become genuine national favorites as early as 2017 after the earthquake that devastated the Puebla region on September 19 and claimed the lives of over 300 people. Other crisis scenarios that have made them protagonists over time also include Haiti, Guatemala and Ecuador.