Below you’ll find information on three groups that are fighting to save animals left behind by the Israeli invasion into Lebanon. Please help each as you can.
First though, please visit the following page that will direct you on who to contact in the US govt. to ask that the leave the animals behind policy be stopped and to allow animal companions to board aircraft and boats evacuating Lebanon:
http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/
letter.asp?LetterID=1533&seriesfirst=true
Here are the listings of the groups.
It’s been tough for the animals on both sides of the Lebanon/Israel border,
but for the animals in Lebanon, as you can imagine, it’s a major disaster.
Thousands of them abandoned by evacuees who are being told by their
governments to leave their pets behind. And thousands more just caught up in
the general chaos. (Imagine Hurricane Katrina -- but with bombs and rubble
instead of floodwaters.)
There’s one main rescue group in Lebanon – Beirut for the Ethical Treatment
of Animals, or BETA (no relation to the U.S. group PETA) – and they’re
hanging on by a thread. Their shelter was hit, but they’ve managed to
evacuate the dogs from there to a place in the hills, donated by a German
supporter. We’ve set up a new section on the Best Friends Network:
http://network.bestfriends.org/middleeast. It’s updated regularly.
DONATIONS TO BETA, ONLINE OR BY BANK TRANSFER
SOURCE:
The animals in Lebanon need a lot of help but the only thing that can reach
us for the moment is money. The country has been isolated from the rest of
the world and not in any possible way goods or products can reach us
(medicines, food...) although we need a lot of them. The supplies available
in Lebanon and the moment are becoming more rare and we're trying - as much
as our finances permit it - to stockpile food (cats and dogs) and medicines
for a long period...
Donations to BETA can be made either online:
http://animals.beirut.com/donate.php
Or by bank transfer to the following account:
Name: Joelle Charles Kanaan
Bank: Bank Audi s.a.l.
Branch: Hadath (015)
Account No.: 735945 465 002 015 06
Swift Code: AUDBLBBX
For more information on how to help, contact:
maggy_sha@yahoo.com, joelle_k@idm.net.lb, animals@beirut.com
Joelle Kanaan, Co-Founder, Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA)
Beirut, Lebanon, Web: http://beta.beirut.com
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EGYPT: GROUP “SPARE” TO HELP THE HOMELESS ANIMALS OF LEBANON
SOURCE: http://network.bestfriends.org/middleeast/news/6327.html
July 25, 2006 -- Two visitors to Best Friends working to help pets of the
half million displaced people in Lebanon.
Mona Khalil, Vice-President of SPARE (Society for the Protection of Animal
Rights in Egypt) - http://www.sparealife.org/ and Kristen Stilt, one of the Board Members of SPARE, have been at Best Friends this week.
“The Lebanese Embassy in Cairo has opened an account in the bank for
donations, both monetary donations and donations of food and supplies,"
explained Mona. “But we can't be sure that these donations will reach the
animals, because most of the donations will be for people.”
A further complication is that following the outbreak in Egypt of bird flu a
few months ago, no dog or cat food is allowed to enter Egypt. Most dog and
cat food contains chicken, so it was banned in order to prevent the spread
of bird flu. Now dogs and cats in Egypt are fed meat and fish, along with
vegetables or rice. This means that the food that SPARE would be able to
send for the animals could also be used for humans, making it all the more
likely that all the food that SPARE might donate would go to people, with
none left for the animals.
SPARE is looking into other ways of sending food and supplies to the animals
in Lebanon, tens of thousands of whom are now left homeless. The best way in
for supplies, thought difficult, they said, is by road from Jordan or Syria.
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CHAI -
4 TONS OF FOOD, HUNDREDS OF WATER CONTAINERS SENT TO NORTHERN ISRAEL
July 27, Tel Aviv – Working through the night to avoid the danger of rocket
fire, Hakol Chai, the Israeli sister charity of Concern for Helping Animals
in Israel (CHAI), http://www.chai-online.org, rushed 4 tons of food and
hundreds of plastic water containers to the northern Israeli settlement of
Nes Amim, near Nahariya, where volunteers immediately began the process of
distributing it to animals in need throughout the region.
While terrified residents in the north remain prisoners in their homes,
another kind of humanitarian disaster is taking place on the streets.
Starving and dehydrated cats and dogs, some injured, many lost, are running
in panic from the explosions of rockets. Some residents left their cats and
dogs behind when they evacuated, believing they would return soon. In other
cases, animals fled the sound of missiles, became disoriented, and lost
their way. Without food and water, they are desperate for help.
Part of Hakol Chai’s relief shipment was donated by the pet food company,
Purina, and by the container manufacturer, Madaf-Plazit. The rest was
purchased with donations from caring people around the world eager to help
in this crisis.
At midnight, the delivery van carrying the much-needed supplies pulled in to
Nes Amim, where it was met by the coordinator for volunteers in the north.
While rockets exploded in the background, local Dutch and German residents
helped unload bag after bag of food and begin the distribution process.
Afterwards, Hakol Chai’s rescue team quickly moved on to Akko, responding to
a report of animals abandoned in cages behind a house. As they went, they
saw dogs and cats desperate for food and water everywhere on the streets.
Entering the back yard location in search of the animals, Hakol Chai’s team
was soon joined by police, alerted by neighbors alarmed by the sounds in the
night. As soon as the police took stock of the situation, they joined Hakol
Chai’s efforts. Three dogs, eight puppies, pigeons and rabbits in small
cages, 20 chickens, parrots, and numerous cats had been abandoned. All
animals were fed and watered, and the volunteer coordinator was alerted. The
animals are now being transported to foster homes until permanent ones can
be found. The team worked until 3 A.M. putting out food and water on the
streets of the city and in backyards. Then the noise of the explosions grew
louder, and they were forced to head south.
“We are obligated to care for animals in the line of fire, too,” says Yadin
Elam, Director of Hakol Chai. “We cannot watch these terrible scenes day
after day and fail to act.”
Hakol Chai/CHAI will donate additional shipments of food and water
containers, as needed. We have also been asked to help evacuate horses. One
hundred percent of donations made to help in the crisis will go directly
toward rescue efforts.
Egg farmers report that due to stress, cows are producing less milk, and the
shells of chicken eggs are so thin they fall apart in their hands when they
try to pick them up. 17 cows and 7 calves were killed by bombs falling on
Kibbutz Amir, near Kiryat Shmona. Three dogs were killed when a bomb hit a
house in Kiryat Shmona inside which they had been tied up and left by their
guardian, who evacuated the area. Two more dogs were killed on the streets.
Some animals have been injured. Fire fighters are working to extinguish the
fires in the northern forests, but many animals, including endangered
eagles, may perish.
CHAI is a 501 (c)(3) organization registered with the U.S. government. Hakol
Chai is an official charity registered with the Israeli government. The
organization helps animals in Israel through legislation, education, and
direct support.
DONATION TO HAKOL CHAI/CHAI RELIEF EFFORT
Donate online: http://www.chai-online.org/
Donate by mail:
Hakol Chai
POB 51858
Tel Aviv 67214, Israel
Or in the U.S.
CHAI
POB 3341; Alexandria, VA 22302, USA
email: chai.usa@verizon.net; phone: 703-370-0333
web: http://www.chai-online.org
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