Saturday15 February 2025
korr.in.ua

It's been 100 years since Balto's heroic journey. Learn how sled dogs saved a small Alaskan town from a diphtheria outbreak.

You needed to cover over 1,000 kilometers in six days—four times faster than usual.
Балто исполнилось 100 лет. Как ездовые собаки спасли алaskan город от эпидемии дифтерии.

In January 1925, an outbreak of diphtheria, a deadly disease, erupted in the town of Nome, Alaska. Dr. Curtis Welch discovered that the supply of antitoxin had run out and that sea routes were blocked by ice. This winter was the coldest in the last 20 years. Without urgent action, the town faced a catastrophic epidemic.

The only solution was to transport the serum using dog sleds from Anchorage, located over 1000 km away. Thus began the legendary "Great Race of Mercy." Over five and a half days, 20 mushers and around 150 dogs covered 1085 km, delivering the antitoxin through blizzards and icy wastelands. Thanks to their efforts, the serum arrived on February 2, halting the threat of an epidemic. The teams led by the dogs Balto and Togo particularly distinguished themselves. Balto completed the final leg of the journey, while Togo tackled the most challenging segment.

Леонард Сеппала с собаками

The route had to be completed four times faster

Typically, the postal service took 25 days to cover this route, but this time there was no such luxury— the serum could only last six days. The dog sled teams needed to complete the distance in less than a quarter of the usual timeframe.

The key segment of the journey was undertaken by musher Leonard Seppala. To save time, he decided to shorten the route by crossing the unstable ice of Norton Sound. This was an extremely risky decision, especially given the snowstorm that engulfed the team. Visibility was zero, and Seppala relied entirely on his lead dog, Togo. The husky successfully guided the team across the ice through the storm.

Гуннар Каасен с ведущим псом Балто

The final leg of the relay was completed by Gunnar Kaasen with lead dog Balto. Their team delivered the serum to Nome half a day before its expiration date, saving the lives of 10,000 people.

The desperate rescue operation is still remembered today

The heroic feat received widespread attention. A statue of Balto was erected in Central Park, New York. The events of this race inspired the animated film "Balto," released in 1995. A film honoring Togo's contribution was released in 2019.

Earlier, "Telegraph" reported that the winter in Ukraine turned out to be quite different from that of 100 years ago in Alaska, being abnormally warm. Because of this, gray cranes returned to Volhynia two months earlier.