Countdown to lift-off: 300 dogs, cats set to fly out of Beirut
Donations needed to offset cost of Best Friends rescue of four-footed victims of Middle East war
September 25, 2006 10:44 AM
Beirut, Lebanon - 09/24/2006 - "It's 4 a.m. and all the animals have been loaded into the carriers and delivered to the airport safely," reported Richard Crook, Best Friends Animal Society's field commander in Beirut. Crook is managing the rescue effort for pets displaced by the recent war between Israel and Hezbollah.
An noon local time, Monday September 25, 2006, 300 dogs and cats will be leaving Beirut International Airport on a flight organized by Best Friends Animal Society. All of the funds for the flight are coming from donations, but more is needed to cover the cost.
The 300 homeless pets are headed to Best Friends Animals Sanctuary, America's largest refuge for abused and abandoned pets, and from there to new homes around the country.
"We made a commitment to bring these homeless pets to safety," said Michael Mountain, president of Best Friends. "We've raised approx. $180,000 to rescue and care for all these animals, and for the airlift. But we're still looking for approx. $200 per dog or cat to bring them all to safety."
Donations are much appreciated, and can be made on the Best Friends website: www.bestfriends.org
Best Friends has also been assisting humane groups in Israel. But the major crisis for animals has been in Lebanon, which has only one small humane society, all whose shelters were damaged during the recent war.
The Best Friends effort parallels what the society did just a year ago in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina when it brought more than 6,000 animals out of the disaster zone and to new homes.
"These displaced pets will be at our sanctuary for further health and behavior checks before they go to new homes," said Mountain. "We'll be watching for any special needs. We've built out a whole area of the sanctuary with the same temporary housing we used at our rescue center outside of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina."
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Best Friends Animal Society operates the country's largest sanctuary for homeless animals, and provides adoption, spay/neuter, and educational programs nationwide. For more information, go to www.besttfriends.org
