Is called Lost and is the oldest rescue dog of the Military Emergency Unit (UME). Along with 47 troops and three other canine companions from the 4th Battalion of the UME, based in Zaragoza, Persa has been deployed in Morocco to help the work of search for earthquake victims. The earthquake that devastated the provinces of Al Houz, which includes Marrakech, Tarundant, Ouarzarzat, Chichaua, Azilal and its surroundings, and which reached an intensity of 7 on the Richter scale, is one of the most intense in the recent history of the neighboring country. It has already been collected almost 3,000 lives.
The cape Julio Antonio Redondo guide Persian in his search for survivors among the rubble of I N’Tala. The intense smell of death that oozes from the ruins makes us fear that the people who are buried under their houses They are no longer in the world of the living. Even so, both – like the entire UME team – continue tirelessly insisting on every nook and cranny and putting all their effort into every centimeter of brush.
Imi N’Tala has been buried by the mountain and houses have blocked the road, preventing movement. access to the following towns. The landscape is imposing, full of gorges, now accentuated by the emptiness left by the homes. The place, almost 2,000 meters highis part of the Tubkal National Geopark, the highest peak in Morocco at 4,167 meters. It is one of the most followed routes for lovers of trekking.
Persa and Corporal Redondo, accredited as a canine guide since 2009, are working under these conditions. Redondo has carried out several missions abroad and already has experience in high mountains, having participated in the rescue efforts during the earthquake in Nepalin April 2015. Persa has worked on other searches before and is trained to act in major disasters.
“Persa is a Belgian Malinois breed, she is seven years old and is the oldest member of the Zaragoza team,” the corporal describes to his partner. To be prepared for these missions, “the training is daily, from Monday to Friday and even on some weekends. She specializes in searching for snow avalanches, debris, such as earthquakes or attacks. She can also work on banks, “After a flood, when the water level drops it can detect if there are people left,” adds Redondo.