From SPCAI:
“URGENT UPDATE AND ACTION PLAN
FROM CHARLOTTE & KABUL SMALL ANIMAL RESCUE (KSAR)”
We’re writing with an urgent
update on the status of Charlotte Maxwell-Jones, founder of Kabul Small Animal
Rescue; the animals under the care of Kabul Small Animal Rescue, including 130
dogs; and the ongoing efforts to evacuate them along with the shelter’s staff.
This update includes Charlotte’s
latest updates from Kabul. It also includes timely information from the
organizations (SPCA International, War Paws, Marley’s Mutts and Puppy Rescue
Mission) who have been working non-stop to evacuate her and the military
working dogs, and pets under the care of Kabul Small Animal Rescue. We are in
regular communication with Charlotte, and our latest debriefing occurred on
August 30, 2021, at 3 pm EST.
Despite being at the airport when
the ISIS-K bombing took place on August 26 and facing the vast array of threats
there, Charlotte is now off airport grounds in Kabul and, for the moment, is
safe. On August 30, she was forced to leave the airport with one puppy under
her arm as final military evacuations occurred. She was escorted by the Taliban
back to her rescue shelter, 7 miles outside of Kabul, where she remains safe
for the moment.
As the U.S. withdrawal from
Afghanistan was happening, Charlotte never relented in her efforts to help the
animals of Kabul and even took on new animal-care responsibilities. She was
able to rescue 46 working dogs and several personal pets belonging to fleeing
Americans. Her dedication to saving lives in a war zone during a military
evacuation is a remarkable testament to her courage and commitment.
The majority of KSAR staff, and
the cats in their care, were never granted access to the airport. They are safe
for the moment at another location in Kabul.
The current information regarding
the status of KSAR’s 130 dogs is much less clear, despite our constant efforts
to confirm their whereabouts.
Here is what we know: In
the end, the dogs and their caretakers were explicitly NOT allowed to board
military aircraft, and numerous private charter aircraft were not granted
access to the airport either. Charlotte was informed that most of the KSAR dogs
had to be released into the airport on August 30 as the airport was evacuated –
turning once rescued shelter dogs into homeless strays. They were not given
access to the flight we had secured to transport them out of the country. They
are within the airport in an area used for housing employees at the far end of
the flight line. We haven’t been able to confirm the number of dogs released,
nor can we confirm whether the U.S. Military evacuated the 46 working dogs that
had been under KSAR’s care when they left. We are urgently pressing for more
details, and while this is more difficult now that the U.S. military has completely
evacuated Kabul, we refuse to give up.
Moving forward, KSAR’s primary
objective is to return to the airport– when it is safe and with the hope of
Taliban cooperation–to try and retrieve or re-rescue the animals who were
released at the airport. The situation at the airport remains very unsafe, but
KSAR is hopeful their staff will be allowed to return to the airport at some
point to try to save their dogs. During her departure from the airport on
August 30, Charlotte requested the U.S. Military open the bags of dog food she
was able to bring into the airport and scatter their contents in the area where
the dogs had been released.
Our team of NGOs (SPCA
International, War Paws, Marley’s Mutts and Puppy Rescue Mission) has been
working tirelessly to rescue KSAR and the animals in its care for the last
week, exhausting every possible option and resource we could. We have worked
day and night to develop and implement strategies for rescuing Charlotte, her
staff, and her animals, as well as contingency plans. The massive network of
U.S. and foreign agencies, politicians, charter companies, and rescuers that we
enlisted also did their absolute best to advocate for the extraction of
Charlotte and the dogs. We also appreciate the support of those in the U.S.
military who helped us.
“We are heartbroken that the aircraft we
secured to transport the rescued dogs of Kabul Small Animal Rescue out of
Afghanistan were not ultimately allowed to take the animals and their
caretakers safely out of the country,” said Lori Kalef, Director of Programs at
SPCA International. “Our team has been working around the clock and has
exhausted every possible option and resource we could in our mission to rescue
the dogs before the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. We’ll continue
to do everything we can to evacuate Kabul Small Animal Rescue’s staff and
animals from the country after August 31. We cannot thank our supporters enough
for everything they’ve done to help the dogs and cats of Kabul and their
caretakers.”
“I feel eternally grateful for
our team, partners and all the government agencies that stepped up to lend
their voice during this intense and difficult time. Charlotte’s courage and
steadfast devotion to the rescued animals in her care and the tireless efforts
of all involved animal advocates working around the globe is awe-inspiring,”
said Zach Skow, founder of Marley’s Mutts. “We are dedicated to saving them and
will continue to seek options to help her and the rescued dogs and cats to
leave Kabul safely. They deserve no less.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention’s recently enacted policy suspending transports of dogs
from Afghanistan and more than 100 other nations into the U.S., was another
terrible impediment, despite our negotiations and pleadings. We applied for an
Emergency Exemption so that Charlotte and the dogs could get out on our
chartered flight this week. But the CDC’s adherence to its import policy during
this time of crisis put animals and people at risk. We are alarmed that leaders
at the CDC are not bringing a more balanced perspective to the importation of
dogs, especially after the U.S. House of Representatives rebuked CDC on this
issue and passed an amendment to restore a proper screening process.
This entire situation is a
reminder that when governments, including the United States, don’t recognize
the human connection to animals, they put people at risk. If Charlotte and her
staff had been allowed to take their animals – with the support of private
animal rescue groups that had paid for and organized a charter flight – they’d
be safe, and so would the animals. Now she’s still in Kabul, desperately
working to bring these animals into a safer space.
While this was our last chance to
evacuate the dogs from Kabul before August 31, we are not giving up. We’re
currently pursuing options for transporting the dogs and cats out of
Afghanistan after that deadline, and the funds we raised will continue to
support the care of the animals in Kabul. SPCA International will continue to
act as a conduit of information between KSAR and the public.
Here is what’s needed:
We urge the U.S. Armed Forces not
to forget the animals of Afghanistan or the people who care for them. We ask
them to share the most up-to-date information on the released dogs in Hamid
Karzai International Airport and to work with us on options to remove Charlotte
and her dogs after August 31.
KSAR needs continuing support. We
will continue to work with Charlotte to use every avenue possible to send
funding and logistical support.
We cannot thank our supporters
enough for your donations and advocacy on behalf of the dogs and cats of Kabul.
They have made all the difference in building a coalition of advocates around
the world on behalf of Kabul Small Animal Rescue. We will keep you updated on our
progress and how you can take action to help Charlotte, her team, and the
animals.
^ I honestly wish there was more
I could do to help KSAR and all the workers and animals get out and be safe. ^
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