Mancs
Encyclopedia
German Shepherd Dog
The German Shepherd Dog , also known as an Alsatian or just the German Shepherd, is a breed of large-sized dog that originated in Germany. The German Shepherd is a relatively new breed of dog, with its origin dating to 1899. As part of the Herding Group, the German Shepherd is a working dog...
, was the most famous rescue dog
Search and rescue dog
The use of dogs in search and rescue is a valuable component in wilderness tracking, natural disasters, mass casualty events, and in locating missing people. Dedicated handlers and well-trained dogs are required for the use of dogs to be effective in search efforts...
of the Spider Special Rescue Team of Miskolc
Miskolc
Miskolc is a city in northeastern Hungary, mainly with heavy industrial background. With a population close to 170,000 Miskolc is the fourth largest city of Hungary It is also the county capital of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and the regional centre of Northern Hungary.- Geography :Miskolc is located...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. His name means "paw". Mancs' special talent was locating earthquake survivors who lay trapped deep beneath the rubble, and alerting rescuers. He could differentiate by smell whether the person under the rubble was dead or alive, and could give different signs – if he sensed a dead person, he lay down; when he was sensing that the person beneath was alive, he stood up, wagged his tail and barked.
Mancs and his owner, László Lehóczki, took part in several earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
rescue missions, including the 2001 earthquakes in El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Mancs became famous when he helped rescue a 3-year-old girl who spent 82 hours under the ruins after the Izmit earthquake of 1999 in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
In December 2004, a statue of Mancs was erected in downtown
Downtown (Miskolc)
Miskolc City Centre is basically the historical part of the city of Miskolc, Hungary. Most of the other parts of the city were either independent towns and villages previously, or they were built later....
Miskolc, near the Szinva
Szinva
Szinva is a stream in northern Hungary, a tributary to the river Sajó. It originates in the Bükk Mountains. It is 30 kilometres long, 20 kilometres of which can be found the city of Miskolc, through which the stream flows from west to east...
stream and the new public square
Szinva Terrace
The Szinva Terrace is the newest public square in Miskolc city centre, Hungary, next to the stream Szinva which runs through the city.The square was constructed in autumn 2005 in place of a parking lot, as a part of the reconstruction of the city centre, and was opened to the public on November 5....
. The statue was cast by sculptor Borbála Szanyi.
Mancs died on October 22, 2006, of pneumonia.
Mancs in the media
In an article published in Dialectical Anthropology, Melinda Kovács discusses the press coverage of Mancs' world-wide rescue efforts as a notable example of Hungary's international assistance to other countries, particularly Turkey. Kovács writes:Róbert-Adrián Pejó is currently directing a feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
based on the life of Mancs. Production is set to start in 2010.