On August 14, 2006, a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel began and animal rescue groups were there to help as people made their way back to their damaged communities, hoping to find their homes intact—and their pets alive and well—after 34 days of fighting.
By Carly Ikuma
As droves of refugees made their way back to the damaged areas of Lebanon and Israel after the ceasefire Aug. 14, many hoped to be reunited with pets they had left behind.
Concern for Helping Animals in Israel (CHAI)/Hakol Chai and other animal rescue groups had relocated hundreds of animals to foster homes and shelters during the fighting, anticipating that many families would contact them to recover their pets.
The case of Jessie, a Weimnaraner, was particularly heartbreaking, but it ended happily, according to Nina Natelson, director of CHAI/Hakoi Chai Jessie was left with relatives when her family fled south in the midst of the fighting. When the relatives fled, the dog was left with a neighbor, and when the neighbors fled, Jessie was put on the street.
"When she tried to follow people in to a bomb shelter, she was badly beaten and left for dead," Natelson said. "Several people called CHAI/Hakol Chai and Jessie was rescued by us and taken to a vet. She was just recently reunited with her family, who is grateful and vows never to leave her again."
Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA) is rescuing abandoned animals and has begun to move into southern Lebanon, the hardest hit in this conflict, according to Joelle Kanaan, co-founder of BETA.
"The BETA team has entered the southern suburbs of Beirut to feed all the strays or those left behind. And, as some people have abandoned their pets in the streets, BETA has also been placing food accessible to these animals right inside Beirut," Kanaan said. According to BETA's s website, the organization is now searching for foreign homes for abandoned animals, with cooperation from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah.
Animal protection groups in both countries are taking advantage of the ceasefire to continue rescuing injured animals, feeding strays and taking in abandoned pets in the hopes that their owners have not forgotten them.
Animals in Conflict Zones
The Haifa Zoo in northern Israel has begun letting its animals out of their bomb-proof enclosures this week, and the caretakers have noticed the impact this war has had on their animals' personalities. According to Associated Press reports, the animals have suffered enormously during the month-long conflict.
Humane Society International (HSI) hears about animals affected by clashes all over the world and has provided support in the wake of many worldwide disasters. With rapid progress toward passage of the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Evacuation Standards (PETS) Act, the United States is setting a great example of why governments should consider the needs of citizens with pets during a catastrophe.
Though many of our supporters were heartbroken to see pets left behind as their families evacuated Lebanon and Israel, we remind everyone that the animal rescue groups who stayed behind have diligently saved as many animals as possible, even under constant danger from aerial attacks. These groups prove that even though governments may not have provisions for pet owning evacuees, animal lovers all over the world are ready to help.
Carly Ikuma is a program assistant with Humane Society International.
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By Carly Ikuma
More than two weeks of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon have taken a toll on people and animals in both nations. As thousands of people evacuated from Lebanon during the second half of July, an untold number of animals were abandoned in the process. Animals have also been left at risk in Israel as many Israelis move south, taking shelter from rocket attacks. As the conflict wreaks havoc in on both sides of the border, animal welfare organizations are trying to address the mounting needs of animals in the region.
In Lebanon
Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA) is working in and outside of Beirut, responding to calls from panicked owners, rescuing abandoned animals and moving animals from its own shelter to a safer location outside of the city. On July 26, BETA also began a rescue of animals from a zoo in the Southern suburbs of Beirut.
"All the five primates—one baboon, one macaque and three vervets—are now safe with BETA," reported Joelle Kanaan, Co-Founder of BETA.
Humane Society International (HSI) responded to BETA's appeal for help and has provided ongoing funding to BETA to assist in their efforts to help animals.
"We applaud BETA for their courageous commitment to animals during such a dangerous and overwhelming time," said Neil Trent, former executive director of HSI.
BETA reports that the situation is persistently dismal, and that its team continues to operate in a highly dangerous situation.
"We have, so far, taken in about 10 new dogs, most of them abandoned on the streets," said Kanaan. "Also, in the war zones, there are a lot of cats left with no food or water. Today, BETA members have started putting food and bowls of water around and inside these areas. And of course we will pick up any cat or dog we encounter."
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BETA has completed moving its Beirut shelter animals to a safer location on a farm about 10 miles east of the city. The group has also managed to secure additional supplies.
"We have stockpiled medicines and food for a month now, but we are going to also get enough for another month because it seems that the war will last a while," says Kanaan.
In Israel
Across the border, several Israeli animal welfare organizations are also aiding abandoned, injured and stray animals in northern Israel. Much of the population in northern Israel has either moved to central and southern locations, or evacuated to bomb shelters, often without their pets.
In the northern Israeli cities of Haifa and Nahariya, and in smaller towns between them, Concern for Helping Animals in Israel (CHAI)/Hakol Chai, Tenu L'Haiot L'Hiot/Let the Animals Live, the Israel Cat Lover's Society and several other animal welfare groups are providing street animals with food and water, rescuing pets from locked homes at the insistence of worried owners, answering phone calls and emails and responding to the cries of injured and stressed animals.
"We are getting calls from pet owners who left their pets at home with a few days' worth of food and water, never intending to be away from home for a longer amount of time," said Nina Natelson, Director of CHAI/Hakol Chai. "But as this conflict continues, these owners realize they need help, and CHAI/Hakol Chai is trying to help wherever we can."
CHAI/Hakol Chai and Let the Animals Live shipped several tons of food and other supplies to northern Israel, and volunteers from all groups have been working around the clock to aid as many animals as possible. CHAI/Hakol Chai was recently asked to evacuate horses from a farm in the north, and have already begun the efforts. Hezbollah rockets have already killed a mother horse and her foal. CHAI/Hakol Chai has also started the construction of a temporary shelter after being asked to rescue over 100 puppies.
The Israel Cat Lover's Society reported that their already taxed shelter is overflowing with animals dropped off by their evacuating owners.
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"As a local society up north, we deal at the moment with citizens who seek help in taking care of their pets while they flee towards the center of Israel," said Maya Ringel, spokeswoman for the Israel Cat Lover's Society. "Many of them cannot take their pets, yet lack people to temporarily care for them. This is where we come into the picture."
HSI has also received reports of several smaller Israeli animal welfare groups helping animals in their towns as the human populations flee. In these cases, dedicated volunteers remain in perilous situations to aid the innocent animal victims of the human conflict.
HSI has responded to the crisis by actively supporting the rescue and relief efforts of these dedicated animal welfare organizations; emergency funding has been provided to BETA, CHAI/Hakol Chai and Let the Animals Live. HSI continues to pressure nations facilitating evacuations from Lebanon to allow their citizens to leave with their pets, even as the mass departures ebb.
Carly Ikuma is a program assistant with Humane Society International.
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July 21, 2006
“No-Pet” Policy Forces Lebanon Evacuees to Abandon Pets
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By Carly Ikuma
Nations around the world are scrambling to evacuate their citizens from war-torn Lebanon, but few of the escape plans account for pets.
In a July 19, 2006 letter addressed to President Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and its international affiliate, Humane Society International (HSI), implored the U.S. government to bear in mind the concerns of evacuees with pets. The HSUS and HSI have offered their assistance.
"The current no-pets policy needlessly endangers the animal companions of American citizens, whose evacuation can easily be accomplished alongside their caregivers," the letter states. "The negative consequences of excluding pets from evacuation scenarios are one of the principal lessons from Hurricane Katrina, during which many people refused to leave dangerous situations if they could not take their pets with them."
When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast region of the United States in August 2005, many people who were forced to evacuate were told that they could not bring their pets. Some people stayed and died alongside their animal friends. An untold number of animals left behind died from starvation and disease.
The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act, currently under consideration in the U.S. Senate after approval in the U.S. House of Representatives, would require state and local authorities to consider the needs of individuals with pets in the event of a disaster.
On the Ground
At the moment, it is too dangerous for animal welfare and disaster groups to go to Lebanon. HSI is currently working with the World Society for the Protection of Animals, and both groups are providing emergency funds to help the Lebanese animal welfare organization, Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA), whose shelter was partially destroyed in a rocket strike. Fortunately, all animals and staff are fine. Dogs and cats at the shelter have been moved to a safer place for the time being.
Joelle Kanaan, co-founder of BETA, said she has received numerous pleas for help from owners who have had to evacuate.
"The roads to the South [Lebanon] are cut, all bridges destroyed and the area is being bombed non-stop," Kanaan said. "I have tears now, imagining the very painful and slow death these animals are facing and the extreme fear they are living, not knowing what's happening to them and why it is happening. And the saddest part about it is that we know about them and cannot reach them and rescue them."
BETA is currently taking the lead in aiding as many animals as it can, and HSI and WSPA have pledged to continue their support during this time of conflict.
France is currently the only country with an evacuation plan that includes companion animals. According to an animal welfare group close to the situation, sources in the Middle East have reported that the French military is allowing citizens to evacuate with their pets. As of July 21, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom are not softening their stance on the "no-pets" policy.
Carly Ikuma is a program assistant with Humane Society International.
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Updated Feb. 5, 2009.
