Finding Fido: Beirutis search for pets among explosion wreckage


Taylor Heyman
  • English
  • Arabic

As Beirut took stock of the shattered remains of their homes after Tuesday's explosion, many realised their furry companions were missing.

The blast killed over 100 people, and left shops, homes and charity premises open to the elements.

As the scale of the destruction became clear, one animal charity sprung into action, helping to find lost animals and reunite them with their owners.

CCTV from the inside of Lebanon Animals’ premises showed two cats resting on a sofa when, all of a sudden, a huge pane of glass came barrelling down, shattering on the floor.

"By the time we were able to get to the office … because the cats were panicking … they're climbing around, there's bloody cat footprints all over the place and two of the cats needed some emergency vet care for cuts on their feet," Jason Mier, Executive Director of Animals Lebanon, told The National by phone.

After clearing up the bloody paw prints and sweeping glass into neat piles, the team turned to helping others.

“We were out until the early hours, helping people with their own pets, transportation, emergency vets, looking for lost pets and doing online co-ordination of lost and found pets and people that want to help,” Mr Mier said.

When The National spoke to Mr Mier on Wednesday morning, the charity had received over 50 emails asking for help finding lost pets.

The group’s Instagram and Facebook feeds are brimming with photos of cats and dogs with phone numbers and emails, resulting in some animals being reunited with their owners.

“Luckily there are people being reunited with their pets. Last night I think it was just very difficult because you couldn't even get down the road because there was too much debris in the roads,” Mr Mier described.

“Simply moving from spot to spot was difficult.”

But there are hundreds more still missing, having run away in fright from buildings with doors and windows blown out by the force of the blast which the government now says was caused by a huge store of ammonium nitrate catching alight.

As getting across the city is difficult during the clean-up process, Animals Lebanon has organised small search parties made up of volunteers to look for animals stranded in the chaos.

The searches have already borne fruit. In one video, a man can be seen delightedly being reunited with his brown and white dog, which runs into his arms with much wagging of tail.

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Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

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if you go

The flights

Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com

Seeing the games

Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com

 

Staying there

Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com

 

Afghanistan fixtures
  • v Australia, today
  • v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
  • v New Zealand, Saturday,
  • v South Africa, June 15
  • v England, June 18
  • v India, June 22
  • v Bangladesh, June 24
  • v Pakistan, June 29
  • v West Indies, July 4

Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The biog:

From: Wimbledon, London, UK

Education: Medical doctor

Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures 

Favourite animals: All of them