Pages

Friday, February 4, 2011

Amid Violence in Egypt, State Department Refuses to Evacuate American Pets

State Department Refuses to Allow Pets in Emergency 

Evacuation in Cairo

Crowd awaiting evacuation at Cairo's International Airport. No pets allowed on U.S. chartered evac flights.

Los Angeles--Carole Raphaelle Davis
The Sate Department has confirmed on its toll-free emergency consular services number that U.S. citizens being evacuated on U.S. chartered emergency flights out of Egypt will not be allowed to bring pets. Pets will not be permitted on evacuation flights.
The Companion Animal Protection Society is looking into a possible violation of the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006 which includes household pets in any U.S. evacuation during a disaster. The law mandates that evacuation plans must take into account the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals prior to, during, and following a major disaster or emergency.
The statute was passed after thousands of pet guardians refused to evacuate without their animals in New Orleans during the Hurricane Katrina disaster. The "no pet" policy was decried by the entire animal welfare community, which rushed to deliver aid to abandoned animals during the emergency.
Today, there are no U.S. chartered flights leaving Cairo and U.S. citizens are on standby for flights which might depart on Saturday. According to the State Department, there are seats available today on commercial flights leaving Cairo for the United States. Current customs regulations, however, require that animals flying in cargo or in cabin must have a valid international health certificate completed within ten days of arrival in the U.S..
According to Joyce Tischler, Animal Legal Defense Fund founder and general council, “The tragedy of Americans in the midst of disaster being forced to choose between leaving their beloved animals and remaining in harm’s way spurred significant legislation in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, designed to ensure that families can evacuate without leaving behind their four-legged members. Americans consider their pets members of their family; they should not have to choose between fleeing the current violence in Egypt and abandoning their animals .”
There are no current provisions for animals belonging to U.S citizens in Egypt at the time of this reporting.
For further information you may e-mail the State Department Egypt Emergency contact at: EgyptEmergencyUSC@state.gov or telephone at 1-888-407-4747 (toll-free in the United States and Canada) or 1-202-501-4444 (outside the United States and Canada).
  • Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.
This sucks, but it really doesn't fall under the PETS act because it doesn't have to do with a state wanting FEMA funds. The PETS act, "require states seeking Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance to accommodate pets and service animals in their plans for evacuating residents facing disasters."
  • Vote for this comment.
  • !
  • Delete this comment
Reply#1 - Fri Feb 4, 2011 1:46 PM PST
To help pets in Egypt check out the Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals esmaegypt.org
  • Vote for this comment.
  • !
  • Delete this comment
Reply#2 - Fri Feb 4, 2011 1:57 PM PST

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Riviera Rescue Dog Sees Himself in Mirror



This (below) is Charlie before when he was on death row, before he was rescued by the Santa Cruz ASPCA and CAPS.  The video above shows him enjoying his new life in France.
Charlie is a puppy mill survivor and lived his entire life in a cage. Like millions of other dogs living in puppy mills, he was abused. Now he lives the high  life in the loving home of Jacques and Jocelyne Dechaume in Nice.

Friday, July 23, 2010




Shelter dogs who were on the euthanasia list, or "red list" in California shelters welcomed by a team of rescuers for the Companion Animal Protection Society and the Santa Cruz SPCA. In video, Carole Raphaelle Davis, Mireile Rudeau and Jocelyne Dechaume of CAPS.

The rescued dogs were held up at the Nice airport for over three hours because of administrative complications having to do with micro-chips. The dogs had been each micro-chipped twice, once per regulations in CA shelters and again, for entry into the E.U.. This is the first rescue of its kind done in France.

The Companion Animal Protection Society, the Santa Cruz SPCA , the Société Défense des Animaux and Air France airlifted little death row dogs from Los Angeles shelters to Nice, France, where they were welcomed like stars on the famous Promenade des Anglais.

These dogs were to be killed because of the pet overpopulation crisis we are experiencing in the United States. In France, they do have a dog abandonment problem but there is a dearth of small, young adoptable dogs. In the U.S. we kill 5 million companion animals in our shelter system every year.

These dogs were vaccinated, sterilized, micro-chipped and quarantined 21 days before their departure for Nice, France. This effort is an attempt to educate the public about  spay/neuter, about the concept of adoption and about puppy mills.

The pet stores of the Côte D'Azur are supplied by puppy mills and the people who could not find small adoptable dogs are buying puppy mill dog in these stores. There is a significant puppy trafficking business in the EU and CAPS is currently investigating the breeders and the pet stores they are supplying on the Riviera.

Riviera Rescue marks the internationalization of the Companion Animal Protection Society, which plans to expand its investigation of puppy mills and pet stores in the EU by working with lawmakers, law enforcement and local animal welfare organizations.

Leave your comment

Comments (0)

Leave your comment