JAKARTA - A cat that was rescued from the rubble of a building caused by the Turkish earthquake, after previously being trapped for 129 hours, was finally adopted because he was reluctant to separate from the figure who saved him.
Firefighter Ali Calaks (33) rescued a cat which was later named Enkaz, meaning debris in Turkish. Given food and water, the black and white cat has become Ali's 'new shadow', as he seeks hard to find survivors in Gaziantep province, east Turkey.
The touching photos and recordings of Ali and Enkaz in the midst of the ruins of Nurdagi have touched the hearts of many people from various parts of the world.
Ali and his colleagues take care of Enkaz - who they think have'sad eyes', treating them as their mascot.
They hope the owner will emerge. Later, when no one came to claim it, it was discovered that the owner had died in a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria which hit Turkey on February 6.
This rare story of emotion immediately went viral in the midst of a sea of loss and destruction caused by the earthquake, which has claimed nearly 50 thousand lives so far.
SAYING THAT the two had 'formed a good bond', Ali took Enkaz to his home in Mardin City, about 250 miles from Nurdagi.
She now enjoys being with her new family, as they gather on the carpet to eat food.
"My mother, father, brother and sister support me," Ali said, as reported by Metro on February 24.
"We consider the cat a family member," Ali continued.
Immediately after the earthquake, Ali vowed that he would never leave his new friend, because he believed that the terrible experiences they had had brought them together.
"We are bound quickly. We are both having difficult times. We will go through this trauma by hugging each other," said Ali.
The Instagram account created by Ali for Enkaz now has more than 19,000 followers, with social media users from the UK, United States, Chile, and Argentina touched by this survival story.
It is known, satellite imagery from Nurdagi shows land- level buildings in the city, which have a population of about 40,000 people before the earthquake. Health services and funeral homes in the city are overwhelmed and many victims are buried in mass graves, as quoted by The National News.
However, despite the incredible suffering of humans, Turkish citizens stick to their love for cats to increase their spirits and find comfort in the midst of destruction.
Turkish animal charities have received assistance and donations from foreign animal organizations such as the International Fund for Animal Welfare, which says they have collaborated with the Federation of Haytap Animal Rights, a group based in the city that was destroyed by the same name. This organization not only helps animals but also humans who are in trouble during rescue efforts.
The NGO, which has sent rescue teams into damaged buildings wearing steel caps, said it had rescued nearly 1,000 animals from the rubble of the building or after finding them roaming the streets.
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