Heavy floods have hit Nepal, with the Rasuwa district being particularly badly affected. Many people have been swept away or are buried under thick mud, making them incredibly hard to find.
Local army units, police, and the Armed Police Force have all sent teams to help with the search and rescue efforts. They're tirelessly digging through mud piles, collapsed homes, and the messy riverbanks, a truly exhausting task.
But this time, the search isn't just relying on human eyes. They've brought in some special help: search dogs. One of them is a Labrador named Samba, brought over from India and specially trained to sniff out human scent.
Samba is quite amazing; it's reportedly helped locate around 20 bodies of victims so far. Part of the Armed Police Force's K-9 unit, Samba has been on the ground since the floods started in late August, specifically looking for people potentially buried under soil and debris.
When Samba catches a human scent, it barks to alert its handler, and that's when the rescue teams start digging. It's not just barking though. Sometimes Samba will slow down, stare intently at a spot, or even sit and paw at the ground. These little signs are well understood by its handler, pointing to where someone might be.
Beyond Samba, the Armed Police Force has five other search dogs, the police department has six, and the army also has its own K-9 team. These dogs have truly made a huge difference, bringing a much-needed ray of hope to the difficult search operations. Locals are calling these dogs true heroes.
