140 Dogs From 21 Countries Join Venezuela Quake Rescue Effort
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 28
140 Dogs From 21 Countries Join Venezuela Quake Rescue Effort
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 28
Summary
140 dogs from 21 countries have been mobilized to help Venezuelan rescuers find earthquake survivors trapped under collapsed buildings, the U.N. humanitarian agency said.
Search dogs can detect human scent beneath rubble and signal handlers with a bark, giving clearance teams a fast way to identify where digging should begin.
Ryan Gray of K9 Search and Rescue Northern Ireland said a deployed dog can indicate a survivor's scent within two minutes; he was due to fly with his 10-year-old Labrador, Max, to Colombia to try to enter Venezuela.
The deployment underscores the urgency of the Venezuela response as international teams use the partially reopened Simón Bolívar International Airport to reach quake-hit areas.