大象传媒

Meet Sam the environmental activist dog!

Sam and his owner collecting litterImage source, Reuters
Image caption,

Sam collects litter in the park at least three times a week

Meet Sam - the 'clever boy' who's helping to keep the Chilean capital tidy!

The five-and-a-half-year-old border collie, loves nothing more than taking regular walks in Santiago's park with his owner and collecting litter that he finds.

In fact, officials in the South American country have been so impressed by Sam's efforts, that they've decided to turn him into a comic book superhero!

They hope that his hard work will inspire others to help keep the park clean too.

Image source, Reuters
Image caption,

Sam collects different types of litter including masks, bottles, cans and food wrappers

It all started when Sam and his owner Gonzalo found themselves having to stop time and again in the city's largest green area to pick up plastic bottles, masks, cans and food packages.

"On Sam's walks we began to find a lot of garbage," Gonzalo explained.

He added that this was the reason they began colleting the litter that they found on each visit.

In April this year alone, Sam and Gonzalo collected 602 masks, 585 bottles and 304 cans in addition to other rubbish from the park.

Park officials were so impressed by Sam's PAW-some feat, they decided to use his image in its park care campaign.

Image source, Reuters
Image caption,

Sam has now become famous as a cartoon in a campaign to help keep the park tidy

He's now been turned into a comic, educating visitors to the park to take their waste with them or use one of the more than 40 recycling points situated within the space.

The park's acting director Eduardo Villalobos said that Sam and Gonzalo "have inspired" them to get others on board with the clean-up operation.