‘Mission possible’: The five-month operation to rescue dogs and cats from Afghanistan
Global News
Dogs and cats whose owners were forced to leave them behind and others who were living on the streets are closer than ever to their forever homes.
It’s an operation that has been five months in the making and it’s being called Mission Possible.
A plane filled with animals rescued from Afghanistan is set to arrive in Vancouver Tuesday.
Dogs and cats whose owners were forced to leave them behind and others who were living on the streets are closer than ever to their forever homes.
SPCA International says it has been working non-stop to rescue the 154 dogs and 131 cats since last summer when the U.S. military withdrew from the country.
Lori Kalef, director of programs for SPCA International told Global News it works with numerous organizations around the world to reduce animal suffering. For this particular operation, it worked with Kabul Small Animal Rescue, War Paws, Marley’s Mutts, Thank DOG I Am Out Rescue Society and more.
She said they were contacted by Kabul Small Animal Rescue last summer and they asked for help to evacuate the animals before the Taliban moved in.
However, the priority became getting people out of the country and dogs and cats were stranded in Afghanistan.
On Aug. 31, 2021, when the last U.S. troops left the country, Kalef said they were not able to get the animals out and they had to be released onto the tarmac with no other place to go.