Fw: Press release: Disaster relief team on standby to help Afghanistan's animal casualties

November 23, 2001

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" Jonathan Owen " <jonathanowen

Friday, 23 November, 2001 00:33

For immediate release: Thursday 22nd November 2001

Press release

Disaster relief team on standby to help Afghanistan's animal casualties

In response to increasing reports of the plight of Afghanistan's animals,

including those at Kabul zoo, the World Society for the Protection of

Animals (WSPA) is preparing to mobilise an animal disaster relief team to

visit the country at the earliest possible opportunity.

In the short term, WSPA has committed several thousand dollars from its

disaster relief fund and is trying to find a way of getting this money into

Afghanistan to enable the animals at Kabul zoo to be fed and cared for until

this transitional period is over and funding from the municipality is

resumed.

In Afghanistan as a whole, WSPA suspects that large numbers of livestock and

other animals may have been killed or injured as a result of the conflict.

It is also likely that rabies may become more of a problem, due to the

increasing numbers of stray dogs in the region.

John Walsh, WSPA international projects director, said, " The current crisis

in Afghanistan has become a terrible tragedy for the people of the region

and their animals. In situations like this, WSPA has a long track record in

working to address the problems facing the livestock and pet animal

populations. During the previous conflict in Afghanistan, a WSPA team

visited the Kabul zoo and provided medical treatment for the animals there.

WSPA is committed to doing all it can to alleviate their suffering now. "

One of the world's largest animal protection charities, with over 400 member

societies in more than 90 countries, WSPA is the only animal welfare

organisation to have consultative status at the United Nations and the

Council of Europe.

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For further information please contact:

Jonathan Owen/Isobel Cooley, WSPA Press Office, 0207 587 5000

(mobile 07801 386670)

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