Earthquake in Morocco uncovers a tiny puppy alive in the debris—life amid the trash in the aftermath of Morocco’s powerful earthquake. While reporting in Talat N’Yaqoob, close to the epicenter of the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that killed nearly 3,000 people, we heard indistinct screams emanating from a debris pile.
A small, dark-brown creature about the size of a rodent appeared disoriented and struggled to move just beyond a pile of broken cinder blocks and ashes in Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains. It was a puppy whose pupils were still closed due to its youth.
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He was entirely exposed to the scorching sun of North Africa, with his mouth full of dirt, searching for his mother. There were no traces of her, any potential proprietors, or the remainder of the litter.
I transported him to the shelter of our vehicle while the rest of my team searched for milk. A Moroccan aid worker even provided us with an infant bottle to attempt to feed him.
We then drove approximately five hours back to Marrakech along the same treacherous switchbacks prone to rockslides and traffic bottlenecks that have complicated search and rescue efforts in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake.
We placed him in a cardboard box with a wash towel to protect him. However, he spent most of his time in our arms to stay toasty.
On these treacherous roadways, the puppy found a permanent home.
“I’d like to adopt him,” said CBS News engineer Steve Argyll, who manages communications for our team on the ground.
“I think I’ll name him Popty,” he said. “It is an abbreviation of the Welsh word for microwave. My partner and I have wanted a dog for quite some time, and this is the moniker we’ve been saving.” Upon arrival in Marrakech, we immediately brought Popty to a veterinarian. Popty was fortunate to be in excellent health.
The orphaned puppy was only a few days old when the earthquake struck, so he must be fed every three hours. In the interim, Argyll, the new father of the terrier, must return to London. The veterinarian offered to care for the puppy for several weeks while Argyll completed the necessary documentation to transport Popty from Morocco to his new home.
