Sunday, July 23, 2006
Caualties of War
from today's Toronto Star
Abandoned pets trapped in war zone
Dogs of War | Ahava Project races to save animals on both sides of border.
Jul. 23, 2006. 07:04 AM
MITCH POTTER
JERUSALEM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They were having a perfectly good summer until the missiles came. And now it is the relentless Mediterranean sun, not bombs, that is likely to kill them.
But with so many two-legged refugees of the human variety at risk in Lebanon it may come as no surprise that almost nobody is thinking of the four-legged ones.
Nobody, that is, except the Ahava Project, a group of animal-friendly volunteers now scrambling to save the dogs of war on both sides of the Lebanon-Israel border.
After 10 days of dodging Hezbollah rockets in northern Israel, the Israel-based Ahava Project has rescued and given shelter to 170 freaked-out dogs and cats that either ran away or were abandoned by their Israeli families in the haste to flee danger.
For domesticated pets too frightened to be coaxed out of hiding, the group has spread an additional 2 tonnes of dry kibble and 4,000 litres of water throughout the stricken Western Galilee.
Now, if Ahava has its way, the next stop is southern Lebanon, where hundreds more animals are believed to be lost in search of water and refuge.
A non-profit group comprised of some 50 volunteers, Jews and Arabs alike, Ahava has secured a ship in the hope of sailing Lebanese strays to safety.
"We have the boat, we have permission from the Israeli navy to do this, we have the contacts with animal lovers in Lebanon," said Ahava spokesman Tamara More.
"What we don't have yet is co-operation from foreign embassies and aid groups to let people know we are ready to help. And we need it quickly, because the sun alone is going to kill 30 dogs and cats left behind in a matter of days."
Ahava volunteers were in contact with their Lebanese counterparts about the latter-day Noah's Ark mission until Friday when all direct phone links between Israel and Lebanon ceased.
Several kennel operators in southern Lebanon were in need of help as they prepared to run, More told the Star.
"We know one Lebanese man with 10 purebred German Shepherds and no idea what to do. Of course we are not asking that resources be diverted away from human needs.
"But let's get the word out to the Lebanese people that we have a solution."
An added urgency, said More, is that family pets have been excluded across-the-board from the mass evacuations of foreign nationals fleeing Beirut.
"Embassies are telling people, `No animals.' But they're not bothering to tell people we are ready to help. We are ready to take anyone's cat or dog, care for them and return them when this mess is over," said More.
"Even if you don't care for the animals, it should happen for the souls of the people. It is bad enough that people must flee their home, but imagine having to leave behind a dog that you love, knowing he will probably die."
For the 170 cats and dogs in Ahava's care, many will need a new home. Like the 250 family pets Ahava rescued last summer during the flight of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip, many of the abandoned will never be reclaimed.
Some of last summer's animals ended up with adoptive families overseas, including Holland and the United States, with Ahava handling the complicated paperwork.
More said Ahava would happily arrange the same for any Canadians willing to take in the displaced pets of this latest conflict.
"We like to think we live in a modern democracy here, but the attitude toward dogs and cats is still very third world," said More.
"Some of our volunteers have witnessed dogs being tossed out of cars stopped at major intersections as people rush south to stay with friends and family in southern Israel.
"They are just dumped on the side of the road," More said.
"So we're looking for families everywhere, including Canada. Email animalsavers@gmail.com and we can send you pictures." ¶ 11:11 AM
Abandoned pets trapped in war zone
Dogs of War | Ahava Project races to save animals on both sides of border.
Jul. 23, 2006. 07:04 AM
MITCH POTTER
JERUSALEM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They were having a perfectly good summer until the missiles came. And now it is the relentless Mediterranean sun, not bombs, that is likely to kill them.
But with so many two-legged refugees of the human variety at risk in Lebanon it may come as no surprise that almost nobody is thinking of the four-legged ones.
Nobody, that is, except the Ahava Project, a group of animal-friendly volunteers now scrambling to save the dogs of war on both sides of the Lebanon-Israel border.
After 10 days of dodging Hezbollah rockets in northern Israel, the Israel-based Ahava Project has rescued and given shelter to 170 freaked-out dogs and cats that either ran away or were abandoned by their Israeli families in the haste to flee danger.
For domesticated pets too frightened to be coaxed out of hiding, the group has spread an additional 2 tonnes of dry kibble and 4,000 litres of water throughout the stricken Western Galilee.
Now, if Ahava has its way, the next stop is southern Lebanon, where hundreds more animals are believed to be lost in search of water and refuge.
A non-profit group comprised of some 50 volunteers, Jews and Arabs alike, Ahava has secured a ship in the hope of sailing Lebanese strays to safety.
"We have the boat, we have permission from the Israeli navy to do this, we have the contacts with animal lovers in Lebanon," said Ahava spokesman Tamara More.
"What we don't have yet is co-operation from foreign embassies and aid groups to let people know we are ready to help. And we need it quickly, because the sun alone is going to kill 30 dogs and cats left behind in a matter of days."
Ahava volunteers were in contact with their Lebanese counterparts about the latter-day Noah's Ark mission until Friday when all direct phone links between Israel and Lebanon ceased.
Several kennel operators in southern Lebanon were in need of help as they prepared to run, More told the Star.
"We know one Lebanese man with 10 purebred German Shepherds and no idea what to do. Of course we are not asking that resources be diverted away from human needs.
"But let's get the word out to the Lebanese people that we have a solution."
An added urgency, said More, is that family pets have been excluded across-the-board from the mass evacuations of foreign nationals fleeing Beirut.
"Embassies are telling people, `No animals.' But they're not bothering to tell people we are ready to help. We are ready to take anyone's cat or dog, care for them and return them when this mess is over," said More.
"Even if you don't care for the animals, it should happen for the souls of the people. It is bad enough that people must flee their home, but imagine having to leave behind a dog that you love, knowing he will probably die."
For the 170 cats and dogs in Ahava's care, many will need a new home. Like the 250 family pets Ahava rescued last summer during the flight of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip, many of the abandoned will never be reclaimed.
Some of last summer's animals ended up with adoptive families overseas, including Holland and the United States, with Ahava handling the complicated paperwork.
More said Ahava would happily arrange the same for any Canadians willing to take in the displaced pets of this latest conflict.
"We like to think we live in a modern democracy here, but the attitude toward dogs and cats is still very third world," said More.
"Some of our volunteers have witnessed dogs being tossed out of cars stopped at major intersections as people rush south to stay with friends and family in southern Israel.
"They are just dumped on the side of the road," More said.
"So we're looking for families everywhere, including Canada. Email animalsavers@gmail.com and we can send you pictures." ¶ 11:11 AM
