Rescue Team Turns a Difficult Experience Into a Campaign for Awareness

Photo Credit: James Smart

Although the team was unable to reach Venezuela, it hopes the experience will raise awareness and help strengthen support for future rescue efforts.

Johannesburg, South Africa (06 July 2026) – A South African search-and-rescue team’s attempt to assist communities devastated by the recent earthquakes in Venezuela may not have gone ahead, but the experience has sparked a renewed call to strengthen the country’s ability to respond when disaster strikes.

Volunteers from SMART TAC Search and Rescue and the K9 Search and Rescue Association of South Africa (K9SARA) answered an urgent request for assistance just two days after the earthquakes. Within an hour, four volunteer handlers and three highly trained search dogs had committed to the humanitarian mission, ready to leave their families and jobs behind to help complete strangers.

Over the following days, an extraordinary network of support came together to make the deployment possible. Travel documents, veterinary clearances, visas and funding were secured, while private companies and donors stepped in with equipment, logistical support and sponsorship.

By the eve of departure, everything was ready.

“The permits were approved. The visas were arranged. The funding was secured. The flights were booked. The bags were packed. The dogs were ready.”

Unfortunately, the team was unable to complete the final leg of its journey after the airline responsible for the last flight into Venezuela declined to transport the search dogs. Despite efforts by travel specialists and diplomatic representatives to resolve the situation, the deployment could not proceed.

Rather than dwelling on the disappointment, the organisation says the experience reinforced something far more important: South Africa has the expertise, commitment and willingness to respond when the world needs help.

The team believes the only missing piece is a reliable aviation partner that can help emergency responders reach disaster zones quickly when international calls for assistance come in.

It is now appealing to international airlines to explore long-term partnerships of understanding that would allow South African search-and-rescue teams and their dogs to deploy rapidly during future humanitarian emergencies.

With natural disasters becoming increasingly frequent around the world, the organisation hopes this conversation will ensure that, when the next call for help comes, South African rescuers will be able to answer it without delay.