Meet Tsunami, the rescue dog who helped locate 26 people after Venezuela’s earthquakes
Tsunami, a nine-year-old Border Collie, has become a celebrated figure in Venezuela after helping search teams locate 26 people following the earthquakes that struck the country on June 24.
Footage filmed in Caracas on Friday shows Tsunami receiving affection from residents and police officers as he walks through the city with his trainer, Jorge Beens, director of the K-SAR ECID canine disaster response training centre.
Beens said he began training Tsunami after developing a close bond with the dog following the death of his previous operational canine. "He is my companion, he is part of my life. Tsunami changed my world," Beens said.
Tsunami has also taken part in international rescue missions. In 2023, he was deployed to Syria and Turkey following devastating earthquakes, where Beens said he helped locate nine people alive beneath the rubble.
The dog was later deployed following this year's earthquakes in Venezuela, where rapid response helped search teams locate 26 people. "Forty minutes after the earthquake we were already entering the rubble," Beens said.
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The trainer credited Tsunami's abilities partly to the intelligence and problem-solving skills of Border Collies.
Beens now plans to retire Tsunami from rescue operations as two Border Collie puppies prepare to join the K-SAR ECID team.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
