More galleries from The National:
Pawsome Pets: luxury cat hotel opens in Dubai
Flamingos gather at Tunis wetland
A football kickabout with the big cats at Sharjah's Al Buqaish Zoo
-
Mohamad Wattar, the manager of Ernesto's Sanctuary for cats, plays with some of the more than 1,000 cats cared for at the centre in Idlib, Syria. Reuters -
Ernesto's Sanctuary in Syria cares for more than 1,000 cats. Reuters -
Feeding time tends to be loud and chaotic at Ernesto's Sanctuary. Reuters -
Behind the mask: a worker and a cat interact at Ernesto's Sanctuary in Idlib, Syria. Reuters -
A cat sips water at Ernesto's sanctuary for cats in Idlib, Syria. Reuters -
Cats found refuge at Ernesto's Sanctuary. Reuters -
A worker plays with a cat at Ernesto's sanctuary for cats in Idlib, Syria. Reuters -
Most of the animals at the sanctuary are there after being injured during the war or because their owners had to leave them behind. Reuters -
Ernesto's Sanctuary was originally located in Aleppo but was closed in 2015. Owner Alaa al-Jaleel took about 100 animals with him and reopened the sanctuary in Idlib. Reuters -
The expanded and fenced-off sanctuary in Idlib covers 2,000 square metres of the city, located close to the Turkish border in an area held by opposition forces. Reuters -
Ernesto's Sanctuary is named after a favourite cat of the Italian women who helped to set it up before the relocation. Reuters -
Leap of faith: a worker plays with a cat at Ernesto's sanctuary in Idlib. Reuters -
Medical workers examine a cat at a veterinary clinic in Ernesto's Sanctuary Syria. Reuters
Syrian cat sanctuary offers animals refuge from war - in pictures
Ernesto's Sanctuary in Idlib cares for more than 1,000 felines
Most popular today
