Taiwan’s search dog wins hearts as it rescues earthquake victims
- Roger, an eight-year-old Labrador, has been helpful in searching for survivors and victims after the magnitude-7.4 quake that struck the island
Dogs like Roger have special skills that can help people who are in danger.
Dogs like Roger have special skills that can help people who are in danger.
Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
After a devastating earthquake struck Taiwan earlier this month, an unlikely hero has emerged. A former drug-sniffing dog who lost his job for being too friendly has been efficient in searching for survivors of the island’s strongest quake in 25 years.
In the days after the earthquake, landslides around the epicentre Hualien made the mountainous terrain difficult for rescuers to access survivors.
Roger is an eight-year-old Labrador. The county fire department released footage showing Roger on a boulder that had fallen across a hiking trail.
“Have you found something? Let’s go over there,” a rescuer said to Roger, who did not move.
Roger’s handler said the dog located a victim “just five minutes after setting off”, and praised the dog’s confidence.
The mayor of southern Kaohsiung – which sent the rescue team – said the Labrador specialised in “rubble pile search and rescue”.
“Roger must have found some clues ... and then they found the victim,” said Mayor Chen Chi-mai in a post on Facebook.