Man Won’t Leave Afghanistan Until His Team And Shelter Animals Are Safe

Pen Farthing, a former member of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom, created the charity Nowzad in 2007 and has dedicated his life to saving thousands of animals since then. Pen, meanwhile, is in a desperate scramble to transfer her animals and local people to safety owing to the circumstances in Afghanistan.

Nowzad has more than 25 Afghan staff and more than 200 rescued animals at its Kabul facility. Pen has made every attempt to relocate them because he is concerned about their uncertain future in this nation.

Pen said to iNews:

“I need to get them out of here as soon as possible. I’m not going to abandon them. Everyone is scared of what the future holds, even myself.”

Despite the complexity of the issue, the former marine has launched Operation Ark in an attempt to gather finances for the evacuation.

The man is hoping to collect $200,000 to pay the fees of a cargo jet so that he may go to the United Kingdom. However, he needs to complete various legal procedures to allow Afghan personnel to enter the country, so he enlists the help of his political allies.

Several media sites claimed that the Foreign Minister phoned Pen to offer assistance, but there is no official confirmation. In addition, the guy wants the families of each of his employees, as well as the majority of the animals in the area, to be evacuated.

Pen continued:

“I don’t know what will happen to the young Afghan females because my staff has teenage daughters…”

The situation is dire, especially because there are only a few days remaining to make a decision or discover a solution that would benefit everyone.

The reality is that worry is mounting in the wake of the alarming sights broadcast on the television concerning the situation in Kabul.

Pen describes the situation as “devastating,” believing that Western governments have failed the Afghan people and have left them to fend for themselves. He also expresses his dissatisfaction with his country’s administration, believing that all he previously fought for was in vain.

Commented Pen:

“I’m embarrassed to admit that I’m British. This is a master lesson on how to fully destroy a country from the Western world.”

In 2006, the guy arrived in the city of Nowzad, where he encountered a dog that became his companion in the middle of a battle.

She called the small puppy Nowzad and chose to adopt him to start a new life with him, and the Nowzad charity was founded as a result of this incident.

So far, the facility has rehomed over 1,700 animals, many of them were reunited with warriors they met in the thick of conflict. Moreover, throughout the years, the organization has been able to teach more than 500 veterinary students in Kabul.

Pen’s organization’s purpose has benefitted not just animals in need, but also the vulnerable population.

Pen and his wife Kaisa had been visiting Kabul from their home in Exeter on a regular basis, but had been in the pandemic shelter since last year. They used this opportunity to develop their facilities and built one of the top veterinary clinics in the country, but their goal was dashed.

The situation in Afghanistan is chaotic, and Pen now has to make difficult decisions about the fate of some of her rescued animals.