PETA Representative Leads Rescue in the War Zone

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http://www.helpinganimals.com/f-lebanon.asp?int=weekly_enews

PETA Representative Leads Rescue in the War Zone

 

Images of kittens sniffing amid the rubble. Dogs

seen running frantically down the streets. These

scenes-reminiscent of cruel and illegal decisions

made by American officials in the wake of

Hurricane Katrina-are reality once more in

Lebanon.

 

Animals don't belong to religions or have

nationalities, and they own no bombs or tanks,

yet they suffer in our wars. PETA representatives

Jason Baker-a veteran of animal rescue efforts in

New York City following September 11 and in New

Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina-and

Michele Rokke are in the Middle East leading the

only foreign-based animal rescue team helping

terrified animals who are trapped in the war zone.

The Team's Latest Dispatch From Lebanon

 

Check back daily for the latest news and

photographs from ground zero. Our team's latest

report follows.

 

August 5, 2006: PETA's Work Continues as the Bombs Fall

We continued to feed and water the many

terrified animals who are roaming the streets

south of Beirut, including this cat in the city

of Tyr.

 

PETA's Jason Baker reported today that a bridge

was bombed and destroyed no more than an hour

after he had crossed it-a startling reminder of

the constant danger that those of all nations and

species face right now in Lebanon.

 

 

PETA and PETA UK Call On Officials to Facilitate Evacuation of Animals

 

PETA has sent an urgent letter to Brig. Gen. Carl

Jensen-the military commander in charge of U.S.

evacuation operations in Lebanon-begging him to

instruct his officers to help evacuees take their

animals with them to safety and bringing

international attention to the government's

failure to serve all Americans trapped in

Lebanon. We made the same request to Canadian

Minister of National Defence Gordon O'Connor.

 

PETA also dashed off a letter to Siyabonga Ponco,

chargé d'affaires of the South African Embassy in

Cairo, urging him to permit South African

nationals who are being evacuated to take their

companion animals with them rather than forcing

them to abandon their animals in the rubble to

starve. The plea stemmed from an e-mail message

that Ponco sent to PETA in which he suggested

that evacuees with animals should " not demand

more than they could be given " -implying that a

request to help South African citizens take their

beloved cats, dogs, and birds with them would be

asking too much.

 

PETA UK wrote to Prime Minister Tony Blair and

begged him to instruct Britain's Ministry of

Defence to help evacuees to take their animals

with them to safety.

 

Donate to PETA and help support our work for

animals, including our disaster response teams,

our transport and care of rescued animals, our

efforts to send disaster preparedness information

to media outlets before storms hit, and our

assistance of stricken communities in times of

need.

Israeli and Lebanese Animal Protection Groups Work for Animal Victims

 

One of PETA's early volunteers, Nina Natelson-the

founder of Concern for Helping Animals in Israel

(CHAI)-has rescue teams on the ground on the

Israeli side of the current conflict. Pictured

above is a dog whom one of CHAI's teams rescued

after the animal had been hit by bomb shrapnel.

 

Animals know no nationality or religion and they

own no bombs or tanks, yet they suffer in our

wars. PETA has sent funds to support CHAI and

Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and

we commend the work of all citizens who help any

being in need.

How You Can Help Today

 

Make your animals' safety a priority: Be

prepared! Take a few minutes while conditions are

secure to plan ahead and make arrangements for

your animal companions' safety in case of

emergencies.

 

Please immediately urge President George W. Bush

not to break the law by encouraging abandonment

of companion animals. Ask him to ensure the

safety of all Americans in Lebanon by ordering

that citizens be allowed to evacuate with their

animal companions.

 

 

--

Kim Bartlett, Publisher of ANIMAL PEOPLE Newspaper

Postal mailing address: P.O. Box 960, Clinton WA 98236 U.S.A.

CORRECT EMAIL ADDRESS IS: <ANPEOPLE

Website: http://www.animalpeoplenews.org/ with

French and Spanish language subsections.