Rescue dog Ego certified for disaster response
Following three years of grueling search-and-rescue training, a Belgian Malinois named Ego has been certified by Türkiye’s disaster management authority to deploy to earthquake and natural disaster zones.
Ego joined the Erzurum Metropolitan Municipality Search and Rescue Team (ERAKUT) when he was 6 months old. Since then, he has undergone extensive live search training in Erzurum and at disaster training sites across Türkiye while also participating in rubble search exercises organized by the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).
In May, Ego successfully passed AFAD’s Canine Search Team Examination. During the final test, held on a simulated disaster site in Erzurum, he quickly located two volunteers hidden 6 meters beneath piles of concrete.
The dog is now the only certified live search-and-rescue dog operated by a municipality in Eastern Anatolia and is on standby for deployment whenever requested by AFAD.
