PM:06:46:17/03/2023
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SULAIMANI — A Syrian team
led by Muhammad Wattar, a citizen of Aleppo and founder of Ernesto's Sanctuary
for Cats, is caring for dozens of cats and dogs injured in the earthquake that
struck Idlib province in northwest Syria.
The earthquake that hit
southern Turkey on Feb. 6 also caused significant damage on the Syrian side,
affecting animals as well as humans and structures.
Wattar and his crew quickly
mobilized to assist animals affected by the quake, establishing search and
rescue teams to retrieve animals from under the rubble in several areas,
including Salqin, Jisr al-Shughur, Darkush, and Termanin in Idlib, as well as
Atarib and Jandiris in Aleppo.
Thanks to their efforts,
dozens of animals were saved and given the necessary health care.
Wattar and his associates
helped about 2,200 animals, including 2,000 cats and 33 dogs, in a shelter
affiliated with the association.
Speaking to Anadolu, Wattar
explained that they rescued 60 cats and 10 dogs from under the debris and
provided medical care to injured animals such as cows, sheep, and horses in
pens.
He stated that they plan to
establish new shelters for animals outside Idlib.
For his part, Ahmed Youssef,
a veterinarian working with the association, said they collected stray animals
in the areas most affected by the earthquake.
He further said that they
are creating bicycles with toy wheels to help paralyzed and amputee animals
walk and placing food for animals in certain areas heavily impacted by the
earthquake.
More than 48,400 people were
killed in Turkey in the quakes on Feb. 6, according to official figures.
More than 13.5 million
people in Turkey have been affected by the powerful quakes that rocked 11
provinces, including Kahramanmaras, Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep,
Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Elazig, and Sanliurfa.
The quakes also killed
around 6,000 people in Syria, according to UN figures.
(NRT Digital Media/AA)