Meet Apollo, the Egyptian dog who is going viral for climbing to the top of the Pyramid of Giza

A video by paramotor Marshall Mosher went viral earlier this month when it showed a dog at the top of Egypt's Pyramid of Giza. People online wondered how the dog managed to climb the 480-foot-tall pyramid and whether he got down safely.

Alex Lang, another paraglider who filmed the dog, said although he was shocked at first, he felt the dog seemed like “the king of the pyramid” and was comfortable going up and down.

“Maybe he was trying to scare the birds away so he could enjoy the view for himself,” said Lang, 27 The Washington Post.

Mr Mosher said he was concerned the dog had become stuck on the Pyramid of Khafre, but saw no sign of it when he flew over the ancient structure the next day.

“Once he gets up, he can come back down unless he found a secret portal that helped him teleport to the top of the pyramids,” he said CNN.

The dog actually fell down.

He is doing well and is being cared for by the American Cairo Animal Rescue Foundation.

Ibrahim Elbendary, co-founder of the organization, recognized the dog from the video as three-year-old Apollo, one of eight dogs in a pack that lives at the top of the pyramid where he was spotted The Washington Post.

Many strays live in the pyramid complex, but Apollo's mother Laika climbed to the top of the structure because she likely felt safer there, Mr. Elbendary said.

Apollo and his siblings now live there and regularly climb to the peak to hunt birds.

The video, which went viral on October 14, showed Apollo barking at birds. Another showed it climbing down the pyramid the next day, unfazed by the concerns of hundreds of people on social media.

Vicki Brown, co-founder of the American Cairo Animal Rescue Foundation, said her organization cares for the animals living in the 4,500-year-old pyramid complex and elsewhere, providing them with food, water, medical care and helping with adoptions.

Both Ms. Brown and Mr. Elbendary hope that the distribution of Apollo's video will raise some awareness of the dire situation of the animals living there and encourage residents and authorities to care for them.

“The stray dog ​​situation here is a major challenge,” Mr. Mosher wrote on Instagram. “While the world is so in love with our famous pyramid dog, I would love to help these friendly pups get the love they deserve.”