Maria Daines
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7/21/2006 6:15:41 AM
---- Updated 7/21/2006 6:26:39 AM
People forced to abandon their beloved pets in Lebanon....
Important website link to stay informed - http://animals.beirut.com/
Honorable Officials of Canada, United Kingdom, and United States of America:
I read with dismay about government plans to evacuate Canadian, British and
American nationals without their pets. I can only surmise authorities have
forgotten the fallout from Hurricane Katrina evacuations with no provisions
for animals.
"Hurricane Katrina taught us that many people will not evacuate if they will
have to leave pets behind," U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn) stated in
support of the pending U.S. Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards
(PETS) Act.
Apparently, it was a lesson unlearned. Despite the fact a pet's survival is
often integral to the survival of his caregivers, Canadian, British, and
American evacuation protocols explicitly ban pets from joining their
families aboard vessels leaving Lebanon. As a result, foreigners are
releasing companion animals into the streets, primarily in volatile zones
where bomb strikes occur.
Some are locking animals inside homes isolated by the escalating violence.
For confined pets, death by starvation comes slowly and painfully. Beirut
for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA) estimates thousands of animal
companions have already been forcibly left behind.
I respectfully ask you to immediately allocate resources for responders on
the ground to assist companion animals and their human caregivers. At the
very least, please be aware of the crisis unfolding for animals and provide
emergency aid for shelter facilities in Lebanon.
Hurricane Katrina etched unforgivable images into the world's conscience: A
white dog was ripped from a boy's arms. A bewildered yellow Lab watched his
family disappear in a helicopter. An elderly woman couldn't receive medical
care unless she deserted her cats. A man and his dog swam and walked for
miles before officials ordered him to abandon his only living family member.
Hundreds of thousands of companion animals either died in the storm or its
aftermath, or were shipped to shelters around the U.S. The lack of an animal
preparedness plan was appalling.
ANY evacuation plan that overlooks animals is a bad plan. Forcing humans to
flee without their beloved pets only further traumatizes them.
I eagerly await your feedback on this matter of international concern. In
the meantime, I intend to alert the media.
Sincerely,
Rosa Mertens
Animal suffering
Belgium
mertens.rosa@skynet.be
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From: Cornwall's Voice For Animals
Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 7:51 PM
Subject: Evacuation of Beirut and pets abandoned - more to crosspost for the UK
Would you please all contact the links below and complain about British and Canadians being evacuated from the Lebanon not being allowed to take their pets with them. Please ask why isn't there any media coverage of animals in Beirut - it isn't their war!! Please also forward on to others - the media MUST get the message that animals are suffering too!!! POLITELY THOUGH... :o) Thank you friends.
BBC Feedback Form
http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ukfs/hi/newsid_4030000/newsid_4032600/4032695.stm
GMTV
http://www.gm.tv/index.cfm?articleid=678
Duty Office ITV
dutyoffice@itv.com
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----- Original Message -----
From: Kinship Circle
To: 9. KINSHIP CIRCLE Animal Disaster Relief List
Cc: rescue-list@humaneweb.net
Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 11:07 PM
Subject: ACT/ Lebanon Evacuations: NO PETS ALLOWED!
7/19/06--Lebanon Evacuations: NO PETS ALLOWED!
KINSHIP CIRCLE ACTION CAMPAIGN
http://www.KinshipCircle.org
IN THIS ALERT:
1. LETTERS TO MEDIA
2. LETTERS TO GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
3. UPDATES
SOURCE OF INFORMATION:
Sharon Hopkins, montalice@tiscali.co.uk
Mar
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