More than 45,000 people have died and tens of thousands have been injured as a result of the devastating earthquakes that impacted northwestern Syria and Turkey on Feb. 6.
The earthquakes—the deadliest in the world since Japan’s Fukushima in 2011—caused more than 5,600 buildings across southeastern Turkey to collapse, leaving people without shelter, and in great need of food, blankets, and fuel to leave the city and find safety. 10 provinces in Turkey are currently under a state of emergency for the next three months.Buildings across southeastern Turkey to collapse, leaving people without shelter, and in great need of food, blankets, and fuel to leave the city and find safety. 10 provinces in Turkey are currently under a state of emergency for the next three months.
Under the rubble left behind from Turkey’s earthquake, barks, miaows and even the cooing of birds have accompanied the cries of people trapped.
As rescue teams scrambled to reach areas devastated by the tremors, those who hear an animal in distress, or are worried about their own beloved pet, know who to turn to.
“There are thousands of calls coming in,” says Zeynep Ceren Oktay, spokeswoman for Haytap, an animal rights charity currently working in the disaster zone.
The Haytap team sprang into action to help people and animals after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake.
Haytap members in nearby Osmaniye rushed to Antakya, a city reduced to ruins by the quake, setting up an aid tent at the Defne Tea Garden, Hatay. Later, volunteers, vets and trained search and rescue staff arrived from Istanbul to help.
Although the workers are stretched incredibly thin operating across the earthquake’s affected area, they have also managed to set up an emergency tent in Malatya.
