The Terminal...

Four puppies and six kittens being imported into the country were left for over two days at the airport with no food or water. A call to the New Hope Centre came through from the Ministry of Agriculture, who reported that the animals were in very bad condition and were in need of immediate emergency treatment.


The animals arrived to the centre just after midnight and we were all horrified to see the state of them. The kittens were all stick thin, had oozing eyes, matted fur and were having trouble breathing. Two of the puppies were very lethargic and were barely able to hold their own heads up. We set to work immediately assessing the medical needs of each of the animals. In fact two of the puppies were near death and we spent several hours trying to rehydrate and warm them with blankets and heating pads. The kittens were able to eat on their own once their blocked noses were cleared and we settled them into warm beds after treating their immediate symptoms. All of the pups and kittens were estimated to be well under two months old and suffering from dehydration and starvation.

After working on the two pups in particular for a good four hours they seemed to be more responsive and better hydrated. We settled them for the night and hoped that they would all feel stronger in the morning.

In fact all but one were better. We sadly lost one of the puppies who had complete organ failure due to being in such terrible conditions for a prolonged period .

These animals were being imported from the Ukraine which is the main exporter of young animals to Jordan. The real crime here is that they are almost invariably much too young (they should not be weaned before 8 weeks) and moved without having proper medical papers and with no vaccinations. They are imported by local pet shops and then sold for extortionate prices to innocent people who want to own and love a family pet. The usual outcome is either the family ends up with the heart wrenching loss of the new pet or spends weeks trying to save the life of the very sick pet. Both cases are unacceptable and this practice should be stopped.