There were at least 50,000 deaths in Turkey and Syria following a 7.8-magnitude earthquake last month.
Following the disasters, search-and-rescue crews were hard at work looking for survivors… but one firefighter found an unexpected friend in the rubble, giving him a glimmer of hope.
Among the rescue workers searching for survivors on the Turkey-Syria border, there was a Turkish firefighter named Ali Cakas.
After five days of searching, Cakas and his crew discovered a tiny cat. As a result, they named it “Enkaz,” meaning rubble.
Cakas said, “We wanted it to be a memory this way.”
Despite reuniting some rescued pets with their owners, they had no idea where Enkaz had come from. Instead, the firefighters decided to take care of the cat themselves.
“We share everything here, including food and drink, with Enkaz. Cakas added, “The cat did not leave our side either.”.
Enkaz became especially attached to Cakas: video shows the cat perched on the firefighter’s shoulder.
After being trapped under the rubble for days, Enkaz no doubt feels some much-needed safety and security with him. “He’s not leaving,” the firefighter said.
Cakas says he has been trying to find out if Enkaz has a home, in which case he would reunite it with its family. But in the meantime, he’s taking care of it himself — and will adopt the cat for good if it needs a home.
“I see sadness in this cat,” Cakas explained. “I keep it by my side, especially in case the owner comes. But if the owner doesn’t come out, I’m thinking of taking him with me. It will be a memory.”
Their story has gone viral, with millions of views on Twitter and Reddit. It seems the story of Enkaz’s rescue is giving people a glimmer of hope in this sad situation.
