Photos from Nowzad Rescue
Pen Farthing and close to 200 rescue animals arrived in London over the weekend after being evacuated from Kabul, Afghanistan. The Nowzad Rescue organization and its heroic founder shared the news on social media, with Farthing calling Operation Ark a ‘partial success.’
Sadly, Farthing’s Nowzad staff and their families, who he tirelessly tried to evacuate, were not allowed to leave the country, yet.
“We are relieved to confirm that Pen and the Nowzad animals left Afghanistan this afternoon and are now safe,” the organization posted Saturday on the Nowzad Facebook page. “However, we still have much to do as our wonderful team in Kabul were not allowed through the final barrier. It was a devastating blow to us. We are now working extremely hard to get them evacuated and will not rest until they are safe.”
Nowzad Rescue posted another update yesterday after Farthing and the animals arrived at Heathrow Airport, further noting “a sincere deep feeling of sadness for the Afghan people.”
“We have just unloaded the last of our dogs and cats at their temporary lodgings, following a long and difficult journey from Afghanistan. As you can imagine, the day has been filled with detailed examinations by our expert veterinary staff, to ensure that the animals are thoroughly checked over before heading into their quarantine kennels,” the organization stated.
“Mixed emotions & true deep feeling of sadness for Afghan today. Heathrow Ops center, Border Force, HARC & Air Pets were all bloody amazing,” Farthing shared on his Twitter account. “Witnessed 1st hand the compassion Heathrow is showing Afghan refugees.”
Farthing, a former Royal Marine Commando, established Nowzad Rescue in 2007 after serving in Afghanistan in the mid-2000s.
The organization is still working to ensure a positive conclusion for its staff.
