Fingers crossed for Pen Farthing and Nowzad

Farthing has previously said the animals would be transported in the aircraft’s hold and that, once his staff were accommodated, any spare seats on the plane could be filled by other people cleared for passage by UK authorities, with the flight able to take 250 passengers in total.

"Earlier, a Nowzad supporter in the UK, veterinary surgeon Dr Iain McGill, had said people were ready to take in the animals once brought to Britain.

McGill said that after the animals and the charity’s staff, the remaining 130 seats on the plane would be filled with at-risk Afghans."

shoppinggirl

I understand the plane he's chartered and which is being paid for by a wealthy benefactor has a 250 seat capacity. As he is flying out his 69 staff, the rest of the plane will be filled with others who need a flight out . The animals will travel in the cargo hold. He's a genuinely good person!

That's what I understood shoppinggirl also as humptydumpty said they are British citizens entitled to leave. Good luck to them all.

My fingers are definitely crossed for him. I've been a supporter of Nowzad for many years now and I, along with many others, donated toward the flight.

Fact is it's a free plane, it can take the animals in the hold and they will also offer available seats to be used for refugees.

I hope that all goes well

Everything crossed and good luck to them all.

In this country we are desperately short of vets and therefore with upskilling I think some of his staff will have no problem finding jobs.

I donated too Zoejory; as others have stated, he wanted to charter a plane to take him and his staff and anyone else that could, to safety. There would be no cargo, so the cargo hold would be used for the animals. So no, the animals would not be taking the place of any people. Let's hope he manages to fill any empty seats with some of those poor people who are in danger.

I hope he, his staff and the animals get out safely.

Isn't it strange how quiet the left on here are being!! Now if that had been President Trump who had failed so dismally to get any extension and completely fouled up this whole operation from start to sorry conclusion, the thread would be blue with fury and indignation, but because it's poor old P. Biden the silence is deafening. Must be very embarrassing that he's proved, well, inept is being kind.

Jabberwok

Isn't it strange how quiet the left on here are being!! Now if that had been President Trump who had failed so dismally to get any extension and completely fouled up this whole operation from start to sorry conclusion, the thread would be blue with fury and indignation, but because it's poor old P. Biden the silence is deafening. Must be very embarrassing that he's proved, well, inept is being kind.

There has been condemnation of Biden's failure on other threads. I think we are all a bit tired of churning it over. Same same different thread.
This thread is about the animals and Nowzad. getting out. I did identify as Left but seemingly not Left enough on here. I have nothing left to say about this particular whole sorry mess Jabberwok especially not on this thread.
I just hope the worst doesn't happen.

The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated.
Mahatma Ghandi.

I've been watching Pen's story. I hope that he, his family and animals get out of Afghanistan safely.

Such a terrible situation over there.

I hope the animals and staff get out safely. ( and I’m on the left though what that’s got to do with anything - Trump would have done the same and Biden’s more of a Conservative than a socialist)

Deviating from the theme of the thread often happens and never usually stops the left from condemning the present government or in the past, when he was in power, Trump, but criticising President Biden? Obviously embarrassing !

I've been watching avidly for the last 10 days or so, supporter of Nowzad since 2010; I met Pen Farthing briefly in 2011 at a dog show, the original Nowzad dog was in a crate "because he's being grumpy" said Pen. An engaging, enthusiastic and well spoken young man with a desire to do good. My Twitter feed has been pushing hard on this.

The privately funded plane is going out to Kabul with much needed supplies, and as others have said, heading back with Pen, his staff (including trained, educated female vets); room for others who have verified paperwork in place and the animals he has committed himself to in the hold of the plane which would otherwise be empty. They've worked through the scenario of loading the animals themselves as of course there won't be baggage handlers at Kabul. They've tried to cover all eventualities, giving themselves 90 minutes to get it done so the plane doesn't lose it's departure time.

Every time an MP on the TV says "pets" I want to scream! Dogs and cats that were abandoned, in some cases injured, they've been neutered, on and on .. they aren't bloody pets. If this airlift was for a man who had accumulated 160+ "pets" I'd be suggesting he be taken straight to the looney bin.

They've already had to euthanise some of the more elderly dogs that wouldn't make the flight, the ones Pen had hoped would see out their days at the Sanctuary. A few staff have chosen to stay.

I think the big picture has been lost in this - the Afghans (and Pen Farthing) didn't want to leave Afghanistan, but they don't (and in many cases can't - and will die - ) under Taliban regime.
And
The BBC had a Report on Friday 13 August 2021 saying the Taliban may take over Kabul within 90 days. It took 4.

I've everything crossed for Pen and his team. Can't wait to see him on BBC's Question Time in a couple of months and I really hope he is on a panel with that idiot MP Ben Wallace, the one accusing Pen of queue jumping.

Ex marine. Cats. Dogs = things the average Brit love - suggesting Pen is putting pets over people and "queue jumping" (= things the average Brit hates); someone tell Ben Wallace he's on a PR hiding to nothing if he keeps saying it.

Jabberwok

Deviating from the theme of the thread often happens and never usually stops the left from condemning the present government or in the past, when he was in power, Trump, but criticising President Biden? Obviously embarrassing !

Biden has handled this terribly. Nobody is defending him.

Can we move on now?

He served his country for 22 years as well. I think he's a wonderful human being.

Well I am centre left and not at all embarrassed to say I think Biden has handled the withdrawal of US troops very badly. Just hoping now that he can be persuaded to extend the deadline - but at the moment it's not looking very hopeful.

Jabberwok

Isn't it strange how quiet the left on here are being!! Now if that had been President Trump who had failed so dismally to get any extension and completely fouled up this whole operation from start to sorry conclusion, the thread would be blue with fury and indignation, but because it's poor old P. Biden the silence is deafening. Must be very embarrassing that he's proved, well, inept is being kind.

Why do you think it’s strange Jabberwock?
This is a thread about rescuing animals.

I am quite definitely to the left but don’t really think this is even relevant here.
I do wonder how many privately chartered planes will be allowed though. I’d happily help charter a plane if it would increase flights out. I understood the airport was operating at capacity - could be wrong.

He can't extend the deadline. The Taliban are the winners here, therefore in charge, and therefore make the running. If they say No, as they have, and there is nothing President Biden can do to persuade them, then that's that, the Taliban call the shots here, not the American Pesident NATO, UN, or Us, so we'll have to do the best we can with the time we've got. It's a dreadful ssituation and let's hope that this is the last time the West interferes in another country's internal affairs.

Just found my copy of Pen Farthing's book, No Place like Home which I must have purchased from the stand he had at that dog show in 2011 - which he's signed "Yours in dog rescue - Pen F".

I'd posted this on another Afghanistan thread, my then husband was posted to Afghanistan in 2010 (Op Herrick 12, March to September/October 2010); a Reservist (TA) seconded with the Yorkshire Regiment at Nad-e-Ali. One of the young female soldiers had taken ownership of a dog at her post in Afghanistan and was looking at ways and means of getting the dog back ... then that dog became very friendly with another dog, inseparable, so she found herself with 2 dogs to get home (I think it was about £2,500 to ship each dog back).

I think you have to be able to empathise with a soldier so far from home, in a place of proven danger, and having something to love and love you back, to understand the absolute need to want these animals, your dogs, in a place of safety. "Home".

I think it's strange, because the left are usually vociferous in their condemnation when a catastrophe of this nature happens. But not this time?

I contributed to the donations
am most probably left
what else am I supposed to comment on?

Jabberwok

I think it's strange, because the left are usually vociferous in their condemnation when a catastrophe of this nature happens. But not this time?

Then get yourself on to the News and Politics topics and read the many criticisms of Biden from right and left.

Then stop stirring.

But it's not really the thread for that. People are more for or against the animals getting out not whose fault it is.
LondonMizFiz
When my husband's dad was serving in Egypt in the 50s he had to shoot his dog and bury it as after having him has his master for 2 years they said he wouldn't obey anybody else he said it was the hardest thing he had ever done.

After WW1, a lot of Calvary and other equines were sold to work in awful conditions in India and other places as only a very few could be shipped home. Some of the soldiers took their mounts away and shot them sooner than leave them to this awful fate. I too very much hope that these animals have been brought to safety as their fate stood to be pretty horrendous under the new regime.