Apollo and his dog friends, new stars of the pyramids

For more than a century, tourists have flocked to the Giza Pyramids to admire these imposing stone monuments, but today, some come for another reason: to catch a glimpse of Apollo, the famous stray dog ​​now nicknamed the “Puppy of the Pyramids.”

He caused a sensation on the web after being filmed in October climbing the Pyramid of Khafre, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, with his nimble paws.

The viral and somewhat unusual video was captured by American paragliding enthusiast Alex Lang and shared online by his friend Marshall Mosher. It shows Apollo fearlessly climbing the 136 meter structure while barking at birds from the top.

“He behaved like a king,” Alex Lang told AFP. Since this daring climb, Giza’s stray dogs have become an attraction for visitors, who discovered he belonged to a family of dogs living among the ancient sites.

Tourists, like the Pole Arkadiusz Jurys, now visit the pyramids in the hope of seeing Apollo and his companions. “He climbs, leans on one of the stones (…), people take photos around him and he looks at everyone from the top,” Mr. Jurys told AFP.

Diego Vega, an Argentinian tourist, also came with the same objective. “These stray dogs have the spirit of the pyramids,” he whispers while stroking one of them: “Coming into contact with them is like coming into contact with the pharaohs.”

Apollo’s sudden fame not only delighted tourists: it also gave a boost to the trinket shops on the pyramid plateau.

Oum Basma, 43, who sells souvenirs, assures that his sales have jumped by 20% thanks to the influx of tourists who came to meet the “dogs of the pyramids”.

“We used to see them climbing the pyramids, but we never thought that they would become a blessing for us,” she rejoices to AFP.

Such a craze that some guides now talk about it during visits. “It’s Anubis,” one of them assures two American tourists, while many have begun to draw parallels between Apollo and the ancient Egyptian god of the dead, often represented with a jackal’s head.

“Many tourists are young people who are keen on social networks. So they keep asking us about this dog, and he and his pack are now part of our conversations during the visits,” says guide Sobhi Fakhry.

“Even though many don’t know which one is Apollo, tourists are always happy to be photographed with one of his companions,” he continues.

A pyramid guard says a famous Egyptian television host even paid to have his own dog photographed with Apollo.

The latter, aged three, is part of a litter of eight puppies from a local breed known for its resilience and ability to survive in Egypt’s harsh climate.

Ibrahim el-Bendary, co-founder of the American Cairo Animal Rescue Foundation (ACARF), which monitors the pyramid dogs, describes Apollo as the alpha male of the pack.

“He’s incredibly strong and intelligent, he protects the pack,” he says. His mother, Lika, gave birth to her brood in a crevice of the pyramids. Unfortunately, many of his puppies died from falling, but Apollo owes his survival to a guard who moved Lika to the foot of the monument.

Intrigued by the story of the dogs of Giza, Marshall Mosher decided to adopt Anubi, Apollo’s daughter.

“I imagine the bond that will form with her,” he wrote on his Instagram account. He specifies that Anubi is still in Egypt where she is receiving treatment to become “strong and healthy”, before joining her new master in the United States.

On site, animal protection associations are now working with the government to install water and food points for these stray dogs.

The Minister of Tourism also announced the upcoming creation of a permanent veterinary center on the pyramid plateau to care for animals in the region, and pyramid employees will benefit from training on how to treat them.

Vicki Michelle Brown, co-founder of ACARF is delighted. “It’s wonderful because it highlights the dogs and cats here,” she enthused.

“I believe that his (Apollo) ascension to the pyramids can help all the dogs in Egypt have a better life,” she says confidently.