Maria Daines
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10/3/2006 7:52:48 PM
Best Friends comes to the rescue, Beirut airlift a success!!!!!
BETA's Best Friends
For more info & photos, visit the following link: http://network.bestfriends.org/middleeast/news
Since we started our rescue mission, each and every one of us, BETA members and co-founders, always dreamt of giving our animals the least they deserve - a good home -
Being based in Lebanon our mission has always been hard. Few are the people who show compassion towards animals and many are the ones who criticize the cause we fight for, asking us to help humans instead of animals. No matter how hard it feels and despite all the obstacles we have to go through every single day with our rescue efforts, we are and will always be here for the animals.
For about three years now, BETA has been struggling hard and fighting for the animals, trying to relieve their suffering as much as possible and keep them safe and happy, away from cruelty and distress.
In July 2006, Lebanon gets into a devastating war. It was mainly the innocent humans and the animals that were clearly suffering its terrible and painful consequences. The BETA team had to work in much harder conditions, under big risks, rescuing animals from war zones and around and looking after many other abandoned ones from people evacuating the country leaving their pets behind.
During this very difficult period, our mission was getting more complicated and outside help had become a necessity. In less than two months our sheltered animals have more than doubled in numbers reaching 237 dogs and 205 cats.
Many were the individuals and organizations who showed great compassion towards our animals and rescue efforts during the war. Help started to get through and this is where we met Best Friends, our animals' biggest supporters during and after the war.
Best Friends Animal Society is the largest no-kill shelter in the United States of America (www.bestfriends.org). Shortly after the war had started, Best Friends were there for our animals.
Being financially, morally, on the ground or in any other kind of support, Best Friends were daily in contact with BETA trying to provide all the possible all the way from the U.S.A. Not only had they been our biggest donors and supporters, but also and most importantly Best Friends were our "light at the end of the tunnel". All what we had always dreamt of for our animals, they made it come true.
Knowing how many new animals we were rescuing daily and that our cat and dog shelters were reaching their maximum capacity, Best Friends decided to take into their sanctuary 300 of our rescued animals (150 cats and 150 dogs) and get them adopted in the U.S.
No words can ever describe what we felt once we received this news. Was it reality or just a dream; it turned out to be true.
The same day the blockade over Beirut's airport was lifted, Best Friends sends a team of eight courageous and wonderful people all ready to work on moving BETA's 300 animals to their sanctuary. Directed by Richard Crook, Best Friends' Deputy Incident Commander Rapid Response Field Commander, the team included two veterinarians Dr. Alejandro Garcia and Dr. Chris Miller, a vet tech Elizabeth Spencer, Best Friends' cat manager, Mickael Bzdewka, and dog manager Michelle Besmehn, Pam Crook (Animal Care) and David DeWitt (Animal Care and Video).
For a three-week period, the whole team worked closely with BETA for about 20 hours a day, day and night to ensure our animals are moved on time and in the best conditions to Kanab, Utah.
On Sunday, 25 September 2006 about 15 BETA members and volunteers worked on crating the 300 animals and loading them into the trucks that drove them to the airport. Without BETA's devoted co-founders, members and volunteers this mission would have never been possible. These devoted persons include: Helena Husseini, Joelle El Massih, Kamal El Khatib, Katia Sleiman, Safa Hojeij, Mona Khoury, Marguerite Shaarawi, Sylvie Lavoie, Dr. Ali Hemadeh, Joelle Kanaan, Graham Garen, Viola Barret, Jutt
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