Dear Friends,
We received several e-mails on Jan. 9, asking about information on CNN
and Fox news that describes the animals at the Kabul Zoo as "just
hanging on."
The Zoo Director here has been in contact with the World Society for the
Protection of Animals (WSPA) office today (Jan. 9) and has been assured
that the money we sent to the Kabul Zoo ($8,000 so far) did reach the
Zoo. We have also been assured that the money was used to secure food,
bedding and other materials for the animals. United Nations officials
have confirmed this information, so we feel confident that it is
correct.
A WSPA team will be landing in Islamabad tomorrow and will go into
Afghanistan on Sunday (Jan. 13). The team and their resources are being
funded entirely through gifts that donors have made to the N.C. Zoo
Society. (So far, the N.C. Zoo Society has transferred $20,000 to WSPA
to support this project.)
The team will evaluate a host of animal welfare issues in Kabul,
including:
- The status and needs of the animals in the Kabul Zoo, with special emphasis on the lion and black bear who have received so much attention.
- Food, water, and shelter issues relative to the zoo's animals and Afghanistan livestock and horses (and other equines in the area)
- Problems with stray dogs, both with regard to their numbers and to the possibility of diseases
John Walsh, International Projects Director from the US Boston office of
WSPA and Gerardo Heurtas Regional Director of the Latin America WSPA
will lead the team.
They will be supported later in the week by Trevor Wheeler: Operations
Director WSPA-London; Jonathan Pearce, Campaigns Director, London Office
and Juan Carlos Murillo, Veterinary Field Officer, WSPA Costa Rica.
The team's priorities will deal with food, water and shelter issues for
zoo and domestic animals. The team will also carry first aid kits to
deal with veterinary emergencies. It will also have resources available
to secure additional veterinary personnel, medicines, and equipment if
needed. The team will link up with local veterinary personal to work
with injured animals and will provide these local people with
assistance; training and veterinary resources needed to help the
animals.
We want to stress the reliability and the competence of this team and
the fine reputation that has been earned by WSPA. The WSPA team will be
traveling into Afghanistan on United Nation's flights. WSPA has been
able to secure space on these flights only because of the special status
it has earned through its long history of animal welfare work in
war-torn regions of the world.
A second team of veterinarians will be going into Kabul in about two
weeks to concentrate on the situation with the Kabul Zoo's animals. This
team is being assembled through the world zoo community, not through
WSPA, and will be headed by the Cologne Zoo. That team will begin
repairing and restoring enclosures and night accommodations for the
zoo's animals as soon as possible. We envision Afghan contractors
performing the majority of this work.
The N.C. Zoo Society is also working very closely with the Brooke
Hospital for Animals as they prepare their plan for helping the
displaced donkeys, horses and other domestic animals in the region. When
the Brooke Hospital submits its plan and budget, funds will be sent out
to support this work.
All of the teams going into Afghanistan will have satellite phones, so
we anticipate that we will hear reports rather quickly as these teams
work in Afghanistan.
As for the CNN report. We can say only that it does not correspond with
the information we are receiving from Kabul, and we feel that our
information is reliable. We think, perhaps, that the reporter is
communicating that the animals are "holding on until the veterinary
teams can arrive." The only explanation for this story that makes sense
to us, is that this story is a follow-up on the dire situation that has
existed in this area for a long while. We assume that the reporter has
not noticed or has failed to report on the fact that the animals'
situation has actually improved in the last couple of weeks.
We want to emphasize that the security situation in and around Kabul
remains very unstable and very unsafe. Only military and a few
humanitarian flights are operating into Boghran, which is about 40 miles
north of the city. One of the first bits of information we hope to
receive from the WSPA team is confirmation that our donors can take
pride in knowing that their gifts have already reduced the suffering of
the Kabul Zoo animals and will soon be helping animals throughout the
city and country.
We will keep you informed.
Sincerely,
Russ H. Williams
Executive Director
N.C. Zoo Society
