Transcript for El perro que protestó (The Dog Who Protested) - Revisited

Oh, well listeners, this season of the Duolingo Spanish podcast, we are revisiting some of our favorite stories about people and their animal friends. Stories that show just tell amazing that bond can be. Today, we're going to Chile for an episode from March 2021. But there, you're going to meet Maria Campos, who falls in love with a stray dog and adopts him. Little did she know that her sweet Bibé would become internationally famous. Keep listening for his backstory and stay tuned until the end for an update about Maria and her furry friends. Let's get into it. In early 2011, there was unrest in the streets of Santiago, Chile. Students from across the country were protesting to demand access to free public education. Hundreds of police officers wearing riot gear faced off with the protesters. First came the water cannons, then the tear gas. But amid the smoke, one protester held his ground. A black street dog was barking or latherando.

It's a Chilean slang word that literally means police killer. It refers to the fierce way he defended protesters against the riot police. He never actually heard anyone, but he wasn't afraid to bark, especially when he was under attack. But to Maria Campos, the dog was simply baby. Her baby. He was her dog. She had adopted him from the streets, one of many street dogs she had taken care of since she was a little kid. But he was a hero. Bibé made his first appearance at student protests in the early 2010s. But when a massive wave of demonstrations rocked Chile in 2019, Bibé went from famous to infamous.

Bienvenidos and welcome to the Duolingo Spanish podcast. I'm Martina Castro. Every episode, we bring you fascinating true stories to help you improve your Spanish listening and gain new perspectives on the world. The storyteller will be using intermediate Spanish and I'll be chiming in for context in English. If you miss something, you can always skip back and listen again. We also offer full transcripts at podcast. Duolingo.com. Maria Campos first met Bibi in 2009. She was selling chocolates in downtown Santiago. She did that every day. It was her job. But that day, there was a big traffic jam. Cars were honking, drivers were screaming, and suddenly Maria heard a loud bark. It was a black dog barking at traffic all alone.

They immediately formed upon. Maria started leaving water and food out for the dog. She even gave them sweaters to wear for the cold. A lot of people in Chile care for straight dogs, but Maria went further than most.

Maria didn't grow up with much. She sold snacks and drinks on the street to get by, and dreamed of starting her own business one day. She always worked on the same corner in Santiago, in the neighborhood where she first formed a bond with baby. He didn't have money to maintain another one day in 2009, Maria headed home on the bus like usual when she was done for the day. When she got off at her stop, she saw baby.

At first, he stayed outside, but one day, when it was very cold outside, Maria looked out the window and saw the dog looking at her.

Bebe was very curious. He slept at home, but he liked to spend his days outside roaming the city. But he lived downtown in a single story house, just a few blocks away from local universities.

Before he was voted out of office, dictator Augusto Pinochet launched a major overhaul of Chile's education system. Public investment decreased while tuition skyrocketed, and many Chileans felt the new system increased inequality. Frustration built up over the years and finally erupted in 2006.

The movement became known as the March of the Penguins, referring to the Black and White uniforms worn by high school students. But for a long time, the protests fell on deaf ears. Until 2011, when college students got involved in the fight,

The protests became more and more heated. Over the coming years, the number of protesters swelled to the thousands. Students gathered, again, outside the universities, waiting signs reading, free education for all. The government sent in tanks and armored trucks to break up the crowds. Maria followed the protests on the news until one day she saw a familiar face.

but being a superhero can be dangerous. Just as Maria feared, one day, during a protest, the dog was hit, or at Drope Yado by a police tank. The students rushed to help their friend and tended to him inside one of the schools, then they uploaded photos of the tank hitting the bay to social media.

Maria feared that her loyal friend, her baby, might die after being run over by the police. Since she couldn't afford a taxi to get to the school where the students brought him, she took two trains and a bus and got their two hours later.

The students that saved baby saw how upset Maria was that she didn't have the money to pay for his surgery. They decided they had to do something for baby and for Maria.

While Bebe was in the hospital, Maria brought him his favorite food every day, chicken and bread. The vet joked with Maria that they actually had dog food at the office. But Bebe liked his chicken and bread and ate it until he was strong enough to go home.

Every time he heard protesters, the dog would bark at the door, louder than usual. He'd cry and cry and look at Maria with big, sad eyes. Initially, Maria stood firm. She didn't want to risk losing him.

Then, one day in 2017, Maria was home when she heard a baby coughing in another room. It was a deep, strange cough.

This time, Maria was scared, and she didn't have time for buses. She immediately called a friend and asked him to take Bibi to the vet. But when they reached the hospital, it was too late. Bibi died of a heart attack at the age of 12. Maria couldn't believe it. He had been completely fine the night before. She was desperate to have her companion back.

The dog's ashes, or cenisas were a comfort to Maria, as she moved on with her life. Over the next few years, she saved enough money to finally buy her own convenience store. Then, in 2019, protests erupted again. This time, they didn't only include students, but also a growing mass of Chileans who were protesting for social justice and equity.

Kasia Mibe AI News programs were showing footage of the dog from past protests. Some protesters are decided to use his image as a symbol for their movement. Soon Santiago was packed with posters and graffiti featuring Bibé in his red bandana, barking at the establishment. People even made statues of him.

There was even an entire website with artwork commemorating him, cartoons, sketches and portraits. Soon after, the dog's iconic image traveled the world. He appeared in graffiti in New York and Tokyo, in a sign of solidarity with Chile's protesters.

The following day, the Statue of Bibé was back in place, but instead of paper mache, it was made of beautiful leaves and flowers.

Since then, unfortunately, two of them have passed away, but Maria still has her dog in Negro. She loves him so much. So, as he's been getting older, Maria tries to give him a lot of rest and tender care. She also says that she's still very proud of the legacy of her baby and grateful for the companionship of all her animal friends. This story was originally produced by Paige Sutherland and updated by Thali Goldman, a journalist and writer based in Buenos Aires. We would love to know what you thought of this episode. You can always write us an email at podcast at duolingo.com or call and leave us a voice mail or audio message on WhatsApp at plus one 703 953 9369 Don't forget to see your name and where you're from. If you liked this story, please share it. You can find the audio and a transcript of each episode at podcast.duolingo.com. You can also follow us on Apple podcasts or on your favorite listening app, so you never miss an episode. With over 500 million users, Duolingo is the world's leading language learning platform, and the most downloaded education app in the world. Duolingo believes in making education free, fun, and available to everyone. To join download the app today or find out more at Duolingo.com. The Duolingo Spanish podcast is produced by Duolingo and Adon the Media. I'm the executive producer and your host Martina Castro. Good-ass yes, put us with chat.