Vienna, 14 November 2024 – Global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS has launched an emergency relief mission to save stray and shelter animals in Lebanon from starvation during the ongoing military conflict in the Middle East. FOUR PAWS experts are on the ground, distributing crucially needed help for stray animals and shelters. In cooperation with local organisations and volunteers, they are delivering ten tonnes of dog and cat food as well as medicine and veterinary supplies. Moreover, they are visiting multiple shelters to provide lifesaving veterinary care to animals in need. The emergency efforts aim to help 2,000 animals initially.

The recent escalating conflicts in Lebanon have displaced thousands, leaving many pets abandoned as people flee, particularly from Southern Lebanon. This has caused a surge in stray animals and shelters struggling with shortages of food and medical care. The FOUR PAWS team will work with local NGOs and volunteers to distribute the cat and dog food and medicine where it is needed most. They are prepared to perform lifesaving emergency treatments for animals in need.

“The shelters in Southern Lebanon have had to take in more and more dogs and cats recently and have reached the end of their capacities. By helping the animals, we also provide relief for their caretakers and owners during these challenging times. We have seen deceased cats and dogs starved to their bones, lying among the rubble of buildings destroyed by missiles and others who are badly injured. This underlines that human conflicts also have severe and deadly implications for animals. If we can help them, we will,” says FOUR PAWS veterinarian and mission leader Dr Amir Khalil.

Expertise in disaster, crisis, and conflict zones

The FOUR PAWS Rapid Response team has extensive experience in emergency animal rescues across conflict and disaster zones. The team has provided disaster relief for stray and farm animals in Türkiye and Syria following the devastating earthquakes and helped in Ukraine after the outbreak of the war in 2022. In Lebanon, FOUR PAWS conducted an emergency relief mission in 2020 after a devastating explosion in Beirut, providing help for overcrowded shelters. The FOUR PAWS experts also helped relocate two Syrian brown bears to a species-appropriate sanctuary in 2021.

In the last ten years, the FOUR PAWS Rapid Response team has evacuated animals from zoos in the Gaza Strip, Syria, and Iraq. Most recently, they rescued almost 50 wild animals from a Sudanese zoo right at the centre of the civil war and evacuated 15 lions to safety outside of the country.