Local animal center named after late Mexican rescue dog

KOCAELİ

An animal rehabilitation center in Kocaeli was named after Mexican search and rescue dog Proteo, who died during the search and rescue operations in Adıyaman after the quakes destroyed the region.

Proteo, who was reported to have died due to old age, played an essential role in the rescue of many people during the first week after the quakes in Kahramanmaraş.

The center for stray animals was built by Başiskele municipality on an area of 6,100 square meters in the Sepetlipınar neighborhood.

The center has an administrative building on 164 square meters and a shelter on 435 square meters.

On the signboard for the center, Proteo’s photo along with Turkish and Spanish text were also displayed:

“Proteo had participated in search and rescue operations in Türkiye, where he arrived after the earthquake disaster on Feb. 6. A member of a military police brigade in Mexico City, Proteo was almost 10 years old when he died on Feb. 12, 2023. Proteo’s death was met with great sadness both in Mexico and Türkiye. As Başiskele Municipality, we named our stray animal shelter after Proteo in dedication to all search and rescue dogs that served humanity in many ways.”

Yasin Özlü, the mayor of Başiskele, said Proteo’s name will be kept alive in this center for years to come.

Meanwhile, Sarıyer Mayor Şükrü Genç announced that they will build a statue of Proteo as well.

“We are witnessing an environment of solidarity just like in 2011,” Genç said.

He added that after the Van earthquake, they have asked for permission from Atsushi Miyazaki’s family and the Japanese government to name a park after him.

Atsushi Miyazaki was a Japanese volunteer who died in the aftershocks of the 2011 Van earthquake.

Genç stated that in this park, they will build a statue of Proteo, to immortalize the memory of everyone who came to help from across the globe and lost their lives for the cause.