"Cheer Up, Meongmeong" Rescue Dogs with Bandages Roaming Earthquake Sites

Four Korean Rescue Dogs Dispatched to Turkey
Bandaged with Determined Spirit After Being Pierced by Glass and Debris

As rescue operations for earthquake victims from Syria are underway in T?rkiye, attention is focused on the efforts of rescue dogs dispatched from around the world.

Countries that pledged to assist with earthquake relief have sent rescue teams and rescue dogs to T?rkiye. South Korea dispatched 4 rescue dogs, 36 rescue team members, and 8 search team members to the site in T?rkiye on the 7th.

On the morning of the 10th (local time), in the city of Antakya, Hatay, Turkey, the rescue dog 'Tobaegi,' injured during rescue operations the previous day, is waiting to be deployed for rescue work with a bandage wrapped around its paw.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The rescue dogs belong to the Central 119 Rescue Headquarters and include Labrador Retrievers named ‘Tobaek’ and ‘Tina’, and Belgian Malinois named ‘Tori’ and ‘Haetae’, all of whom underwent a two-year training program.

Rescue dogs possess at least 10,000 times the olfactory ability and 50 times the auditory ability of humans, playing a crucial role in locating missing persons or discovering bodies at disaster sites.

Using heavy machinery can cause debris to collapse, endangering survivors’ lives, so rescue dogs are deployed in such situations.

On the morning of the 10th (local time), in the city of Antakya, Hatay, Turkey, the rescue dog 'Tobaegi,' injured during rescue operations the previous day, continues the search work with a bandage wrapped around its paw.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Rescue dogs are trained to sniff human scent and bark or scratch in areas where the scent is strongest.

When it is impossible to clear all debris, rescue dogs can cover a wide area, speeding up search and rescue operations.

However, sites filled with sharp rebar, broken bricks, and glass are dangerous even for rescue dogs.

Rescue dogs that have already been injured are searching for survivors with bandages wrapped around them.

According to Yonhap News, Tobaek injured his paw on a sharp object during a search. To prevent the wound from worsening, Tobaek was bandaged on his right front paw and returned to the site. Tori also had bandages wrapped around his paw after rescue operations.

The rescue team carried Tobaek through dangerous areas to avoid discomfort, but the dog’s exhaustion from continuous search activities and injuries was evident.

On the morning of the 10th (local time), in the city of Antakya, Hatay, T?rkiye, the rescue dog 'Tori,' injured during rescue operations the previous day, is waiting to be deployed with a bandage wrapped around its paw. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Mexico, a country prone to earthquakes, dispatched 16 rescue dogs to T?rkiye. Among the Mexican rescue dogs sent to T?rkiye is ‘Echo’, a yellow Labrador Retriever who was a colleague of ‘Frida’, known for wearing goggles and boots while working at the 2017 Mexico earthquake site.

Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Libya, Poland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States also sent rescue dogs to the earthquake sites in T?rkiye and Syria.

On the morning of the 9th (local time), Korean Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) members and the rescue dog 'Haetae' are conducting rescue operations among buildings collapsed due to the earthquake in the Antakya area of Hatay, Turkey. [Image source=Yonhap News]

A Mexican government official told the British BBC, “Rescue dogs can detect not only the scent of people buried alive under debris but also the scent of bodies. We hope that their prompt deployment will help rescue as many survivors as possible.”

Meanwhile, on the fifth day since two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.8 and 7.5 struck T?rkiye and Syria on the 6th (local time), the death toll in the two countries has exceeded 23,000. It is estimated that 200,000 people remain trapped under collapsed buildings.

On the morning of the 9th (local time), Korean Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) members and the rescue dog 'Haetae' are conducting rescue operations among buildings collapsed by the earthquake in the Antakya area of Hatay, Turkey.
[Image source=Yonhap News]