More dogs have been spotted climbing an Egyptian pyramid after a paraglider first spotted one atop the ancient wonder.
A new video shows three dogs trotting up the side of the pyramid about halfway up. Their lively doors and wagging tails suggest they are safe and happy.
It comes after stunning footage captured by paraglider Alex Lang on October 14, while soaring above the Pyramid of Khafre when he noticed movement at its apex.
Approaching the small flat space at the top of the brick structure, onlookers were stunned to see that it was a dog wandering around.
Following the surprising discovery at the top of the ancient monument, Lang said the dog had been barking at birds flying overhead when he saw the animal.
On October 17, new footage showed the dog descending the pyramid, running deftly across nearly 500 feet of limestone; That moment was captured on camera by a tour guide, Lauren Rathvon.
It’s not yet clear if this dog is one of the three in this new video, but if it is, it appears he brought his friends to see the sight.
A new video shows three dogs trotting up the side of the pyramid about halfway up. Their lively doors and wagging tails suggest they are safe and happy.
Upon seeing Lang’s video, Ibrahim Elbendary, co-founder of the American Cairo Rescue Foundation, recognized the dog immediately.
It was Apollo, one of eight dogs in a pack that lives at the top of the Pyramid of Khafre, the Washington Post reported.
Elbendary confirmed that Apollo was hunting birds at the top of the pyramid when Lang saw him.
He and his packmates sneak up on the crows and leap into the air to catch them, a dangerous feat when they are hundreds of feet above the ground.
Apollo, his siblings and their pack mother, Laika, live among dozens of other stray dogs in the famous 4,500-year-old pyramid complex.
Most of these dogs stay low to the ground. But one day, Laika climbed to the top of Khafre’s Pyramid, possibly because it was a safe place to give birth, Elbendary speculated.
Since then, she and her pups have made the pyramid their home, climbing and descending with ease.
They are cared for by animal welfare organizations such as Elbendary’s, which provides stray dogs with food, water and medical care and facilitates adoptions in the United States.
The American Cairo Rescue Foundation also traps, vaccinates and spays or neuters dogs, but Elbendary told the Washington Post that Apollo “runs right to the top of the pyramid when we try” and has evaded all attempts to capture him.
Apollo is about three years old and seems to have no problem going up and down the steep, rugged terrain of the pyramids.
It’s unclear if the three dogs in this new video are Apollo and his packmates. But it is not unlikely, since it seems to be the only herd that regularly climbs the pyramid.
Rathvon, the tour guide who captured the video of Apollo coming down from the pyramid, said: “I saw this dog coming down from the Great Pyramid of Giza like it was nothing!”
“It’s just a hop, skip, and a jump for them.”
It has not been confirmed if the three dogs in this latest video are Apollo and his pack mates. But it is not unlikely, since it seems to be the only group that regularly moves up the pyramid.
The estimated number of stray dogs in Egypt varies, but some experts put the number at 15 million.
They bite approximately 200,000 people a year, according to the World Health Organization, increasing the local risk of one of the world’s deadliest diseases: rabies.
They are also widely stigmatized due to a famous Islamic saying attributed to the Prophet Muhammad that warns that angels will not enter your house if there is a dog inside.
But people like Elbendary are working to create a better life for these abandoned animals.
He told the Washington Post that he was excited to see Apollo’s video go viral online, as it could generate more interest in Cairo’s stray dogs and help encourage residents and authorities to care for them.
