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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
This is Jamelia, the kitten who left the war zone with her PETA friends.
Check back daily for the latest news and photographs from ground zero. Our team’s latest report follows.
August 8, 2006: Kitten Is the Last One Out as Bombings Increase
“Bombs fell heavily on southern Beirut,” Jason reports. “It has become impossible to get into areas outside the city, where Israeli planes have dropped leaflets warning everyone to evacuate before everything will be leveled. We have left provisions for the black dog and his friends with an old man who remains here, and we have taken one kitten to a shelter in Amman, where she will be sterilized and re-homed. Now we are packing up to leave, but our hearts remain with the animals who cannot escape. War is truly a terrible thing for all forms of life.”
Jason continues: “We wish our very best to CHAI, which is working on the Israeli side; to BETA, which is trying to help animals in Beirut; and to the Humane Center for Animal Welfare in Jordan, which has taken in some of the animals we got out of Lebanon. And our thanks to the wonderful individuals—including those in the rescue services and the military on all sides of this hideous situation—who have helped animals caught up in the warfare. These individuals all did a better job than the rich governments who betrayed faithful animals and the people who cared for them.”
August 7, 2006: Abandoned Cat Saved From the Streets
August 6, 2006: PETA Helps Officials to Aid Animals in Need
August 5, 2006: PETA’s Work Continues as the Bombs Fall
August 4, 2006: PETA’s Work in the Australian Media
August 3, 2006: ‘Amid the Horror, There Is Some Joy’
August 2, 2006: PETA Has Entered Bombed War Zone in Southern Lebanon
July 31, 2006: PETA Team Heads Into Beirut
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.
Read the Latest News From Lebanon
See Pictures of PETA's Rescue Work
