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Three Labrador dogs named Tito, Eva, and Choco became the most endearing protagonists of the Cuban deployment in Venezuela this Monday, following the devastating earthquakes of June 24 that left over 1,700 dead and tens of thousands missing.
The three dogs arrived on Sunday in Caracas alongside the first contingent of the Special Brigade for Rescue and Salvage from Cuba, made up of 13 specialists, as reported by the state media Cubadebate.
This Monday, the Cuban Medical Brigade in Venezuela published the first images of the animals already on the ground, equipped with harnesses and vests marked as "SALVAMENTO" and "RESCATE CUBA," alongside their handlers in black tactical uniforms.
"Their names are Tito, Eva, and Choco. They do not understand boundaries or politics, only love, loyalty, and the noble instinct to save lives," wrote the Cuban Medical Brigade in Venezuela on their Facebook account.
The photographs show the Labradors—one golden, one chocolate, and one with lighter fur—ready to enter the field.
The two earthquakes that shook Venezuela on June 24, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 and epicenters in the Yaracuy state, occurring just 39 seconds apart, are the most destructive recorded in the country since 1900.
The official toll at the close of this Monday rose to 1,719 dead and 5,034 injured, while the UN estimated up to 50,000 missing.
NASA estimated that approximately 58,870 buildings were damaged or destroyed, with economic losses of 6.7 billion dollars, equivalent to 6% of Venezuela's GDP.
The Cuban contingent was welcomed in Caracas by the Cuban ambassador Jorge Mayo Fernández and the Venezuelan Deputy Minister for Latin America, Mauricio Rodríguez.
According to Cubadebate, the rescuers immediately joined the search efforts without time to rest, and participated in the rescue of a young man found alive in La Guaira nearly 120 hours after the double earthquake.
This Monday, a second Cuban contingent —rescue workers, surgeons, and forensic experts from the Henry Reeve Contingent— arrived at the Arturo Michelena International Airport in Valencia, Carabobo state.
The deployment occurs as at least 30 Cubans were reported missing under the rubble in areas such as Caraballeda, Catia La Mar, and Los Corales, as documented by the citizen platform "Encuéntralos."
On Sunday, it was also confirmed the death of a Cuban family of six members found dead in Playa Grande, including six-year-old Dylan Xander Rodríguez Yáñez.
The contrast between the image of rescue dogs and the regime's opacity towards its own citizens is striking: on June 27, the director of Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ana Teresita González Fraga, stated that "so far we have no official confirmation" of compatriots who are injured, deceased, or missing.
In total, more than 2,624 international rescuers from multiple countries were operating in Venezuela on Monday, with 137 rescue dogs and 49 support vehicles, in the largest humanitarian response the country has received in decades.
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