Dear Members & Friends,
COUNTDOWN TO LIFT-OFF: We’re now entering the FINAL STAGES of preparation for the airlift of dogs and cats from their temporary sanctuary outside of Beirut.
FLIGHT DETAILS: All being well, about 300 animals will board a cargo flight one night early next week. The flight will stop to refuel at Manchester in the U.K. and then at JFK to clear customs and refuel, continuing on to Las Vegas for an evening arrival, when temperatures are cool. The dogs and cats will then board Best Friends trucks for the final leg of the journey to the sanctuary.
Traveling with the dogs and cats will be members of the Best Friends rapid response team, the vet team, and volunteers from Lebanon’s only humane society, Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA).
BACKGROUND: You’ll recall that the BETA folks LOST THEIR SHELTERS DURING THE RECENT WAR, and have been caring for these homeless pets at a temporary refuge. These amazing volunteers have been coping with unparalleled challenges, including death threats to the dogs, a nationwide lack of cat food, and the near impossibility of finding any new adoptive homes locally.
Best Friends staff and volunteers have been on the ground for some time now, helping to care for the animals and prepare for the airlift. This whole operation will give BETA some breathing space to rebuild their shelters and get back to their urgent rescue work.
ADOPTIONS IN THE U.S.: We’ve had many applications for adoption in this country. Many thanks to all who have offered to open their hearts and homes. There are still dogs and cats (of all shapes, types, ages, and sizes) available for adoption. Please check out the Adoption tab at http://middleeast.bestfriends.org.
FUNDS: We’re lifting off on faith, since we still have not raised all the funds needed. Still looking for an additional $200 for many of the dogs and cats. YOUR DONATION, LARGE OR SMALL, IS STILL CRITICAL TO THIS WORK. Please use the donation button at http://middleeast.bestfriends.org.
Please keep in mind that BETA is the ONLY humane society in the entire country of Lebanon. So this rescue program is designed to help them re-establish their work and their shelters. For these 300 animals, it means new lives and new homes, but for ALL THE OTHER ANIMALS in that country, it also means new hope and new beginnings.
NEWS UPDATES are on the website every day at http://middleeast.bestfriends.org. Recent stories on the site include:
* How we’re building the temporary accommodations here at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
* The animals at the BETA refuge in the hills above Beirut
* Heartwarming stories of rescue and reunion in Israel
* And the front page story in last Sunday’s Salt Lake Tribune
And as soon as we have more precise timing next week, we’ll let you know, and we’ll be setting up a SPECIAL BLOG to keep you up to the minute as the airlift gets under way.
As always, thank you for caring,
Michael Mountain
Best Friends
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