Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/kabul-small-animal-shelter-needs-landing-permit/
Time is running out for Kabul Small Animal Rescue (KWAS) in Afghanistan.
The animal shelter was founded by American anthropologist, Charlotte Maxwell-Jones, who is pleading for help in rescuing all of the animals and staff before it is too late. The Taliban have taken over the city and it has become a dangerous situation.
Charlotte has been visited by the Taliban and told she would have safe passage if she left immediately– but she refuses to leave the rescued animals behind.
With tears in her eyes, she said in a recent video that KWAS needs a landing permit for the animals. “We have stuck it out this far… we are not going to leave them. We need a landing permit. Because I think it is going to continue to get more difficult.”
She is a true animal hero and continues her lifesaving work on the dangerous streets of the city. She has offered to take in any abandoned animal or pet that needs evacuating.
They need all the help they can get.
Her loyal and hardworking staff has made sure all the animals are well-cared for. “We love these animals, we want to continue offering high quality care to them and all the others. It is heartbreaking to have to leave the place we have put so much blood sweat and tears into, quite literally. We built this from the ground up and it breaks us all to have to leave it,” wrote the shelter.
She has managed to arrange safe passage for herself and staff but is having a hard time getting a landing permit for the animals. “We have a charter company that is willing and ready at a moment’s notice to send a cargo plane large enough to move all of our animals, first stop Jordan.”
But nothing can be done without the permit. “The US military will not grant a landing permit for a plane whose only manifest is animals,” states Charlotte.
Multiple fundraisers have been created to help fund the flights, food, care, and transport of people and pets. While KWAS is blown away by everyone’s support and generosity, more is needed to pull off this “miracle”.
The latest update on the shelter’s Facebook page said, “We’re also delighted to say that some of the outreach and advocacy efforts have given us some traction when it comes to flight permissions. We have several contingency plans in the works and are optimistic that we will be able to see concrete results soon.”
The post went on to talk about all the animals they are continuing to save as evacuation preparations are made.
“While things are still difficult here and we would all like to sleep as peacefully as our crashed out puppies, our staff are working hard to collect the animals from rescues throughout the city that have fewer transport options and working on intake of those animals that have been dropped off in anticipation of evacuation flights.”
Most of the staff will be allowed to leave before the animals, but Charlotte and a few others will remain behind until all the animals are safely evacuated — no matter how long it takes.
Please share her plight and help KWAS obtain a landing permit for all the innocent animals and help everyone get out safely.
Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog
