Nature
PUBLISHED
A dog has recently been spotted on top of the Great Pyramid of Giza. It's unclear how the animal reached the top of the structure, nor whether it was rescued after the footage was taken.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.The footage, shown below, was captured by Alex Lang on October 14 while flying over the Giza pyramid complex using a paramotor.
The “dog was barking at birds,” he told Storyful. Lang shared the video on social media and, unsurprisingly, it quickly went viral – but the video also provoked a considerable amount of concern for the welfare of the animal.
The Giza pyramid complex, located on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital of Cairo, features three main pyramids – the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure – along with other subsidiary pyramids and the Great Sphinx.
Although tourists were once allowed to freely scale the monuments, Egypt has since imposed strict rules against people climbing pyramids, an offense that’s reportedly punishable by up to three years in prison. Back in 2016, an 18-year-old German tourist illegally climbed the Great Pyramid of Khufu to take photos from the summit. He was caught by the authorities and received a lifetime ban from the country.
While the viral video continues to gain views, officials have not yet commented on the incident. It’s not certain whether the dog has faced charges.
