One year after the earthquake that devastated the entire southeast of Turkey, causing more than 50,000 deaths, Turkey still keeps alive the memory of the Mexican dog Proteo, brought by a group of about 150 rescuers sent by Mexico to help in the search for survivors in the rubble, who died in Turkey due to exhaustion after helping to pull several victims out of the rubble.
When he died, Proteo’s body was buried in the garden of Hasan Taşar High School – in the Barbaros Hayrettin district of Turkey’s Adıyaman province – where the Mexican rescue team was staying temporarily. When they returned home, they took Proteo’s body with them to Mexico, but the Mexican team gave Proteo’s collar to the school as a symbol of friendship and of the dog’s life-saving efforts in the aftermath of the earthquake.
“Proteo helped to find and save at least one woman and one man from the rubble, he died of exhaustion doing his duty due to the long journey and the great effort made in the earthquake zone,” said the school’s vice principal, Kadir Kurnaz, explaining that the rescuers from Mexico set up their tents in the school’s garden.
“During the first week after the earthquake, a Mexican military rescue team arrived. They had rescue dogs with them, and one of them was Proteo. From the very first moment they were very active in the rubble, especially in the construction sites in front of our school. They pulled out injured people, the dogs were of great help,” he said. “Proteus came out of one of the collapsed buildings feeling sick. They (the Mexican rescuers) buried the dog in the garden of our school, and took him with them when they left. They left us his collar, it even has an inscription on it. We hope they will come back one day,” Kurnaz said.
Arkadaş (Friend): Proteus’ legacy between Turkey and Mexico
But the legacy of the Mexican dog Proteo did not end there. In honour of his death, fighting to rescue earthquake victims, Turkey sent to Mexico a German Shepherd puppy named Arkadaş (“Friend” in Turkish) as a gift, to be trained in Mexico as a rescue dog as well.
“Arkadaş has exceptional qualities, in particular his keen sense of smell. After training, he will be an excellent search and rescue dog,” says his current trainer in Mexico, Juan Carlos Villeda. “With his loyalty and his presence, Arkadaş has won everyone’s heart. It is a joy to spend time with him. He is incredibly loyal, and he is always by my side. Working with him is like therapy. He has truly become part of our team,” he added.
VOTE
EDITORIAL TEAM
🧿 About us
.
Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
…
📣 Your ADVERTISING on Hispanatolia
.
🤗 HELP US WITH A DONATION:
💗 Paypal
