Pen Farthing, a former Royal Marine who started an animal shelter in Kabul, will reportedly be allowed to evacuate over one hundred pets back to the U.K. later today.
From the U.K. Ministry of Defense:
Pen Farthing and his pets were assisted through the system at Kabul airport by the UK Armed Forces. They are currently being supported while he awaits transportation.
— Ministry of Defence Press Office (@DefenceHQPress) August 27, 2021
They’ll reportedly fly back on a chartered jet:
@defencehqpress On the direction of the Defence Secretary, clearance for their charter flight has been sponsored by the UK Government.
— Ministry of Defence Press Office (@DefenceHQPress) August 27, 2021
We’ll note that information coming out of Afghanistan right now could change at any moment:
#PenFarthing miracle as he AND rescue dogs to board #Kabul airport evacuation jet TONIGHT #Afghanistan @PenFarthinghttps://t.co/YV9fSDHLFN
— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) August 27, 2021
Farthing blamed President Joe Biden for problems at the airport as he was trying to get the pets through security in the hours AFTER the terror attack that killed at least 13 U.S. servicemembers:
The whole team & dogs/cats were safely 300m inside the airport perimeter. We were turned away as @JoeBiden @POTUS had changed paperwork rules just 2 hours earlier. Went through hell to get there & we were turned away into the chaos of those devastating explosions. #OperationArk
— Pen Farthing (@PenFarthing) August 27, 2021
The Brits really want to blame us for this?
.@rickygervais I’m glad to have the opportunity to speak On behalf of @PenFarthing @Nowzad I must make it clear Pen has not jumped any queue he’s waited for his slot which has been sabotaged by @JoeBiden’s last minute visa change. https://t.co/gLoB5JaULF
— Peter Egan (@PeterEgan6) August 27, 2021
And in what will surely be hotly debated, they’re evacuating the pets but not the staff and their families:
It’s absolutely gutting that @Nowzad arent with Pen but I can imagine it wasn’t an easy decision for him to leave them. it feels like it was a life or death scenario. God knows how it would have ended up if Pen hadn’t left, & the animals would well have been killed #operationark
— Sophie Newton (@Sophie_newton) August 27, 2021
Afghan pets story is very difficult because my mind immediately goes to quips and jokes because of the subject matter but then I remember the actual real world horror that they saved the animals and not the people.
— James O'Malley (@Psythor) August 27, 2021
I mean I’m literally sat in a room watching a 7 week old kitten run around and yet my mind is still clear enough to see that they should have got the humans out first.
— James O'Malley (@Psythor) August 27, 2021
According to reports, 68 staffers and the families are being left behind:
We are overjoyed that #PenFarthing & the rescue animals from #Nowzad have made it through but devastated the 68 vulnerable Afghan staff & families have not. 😔 We can only hope that they remain safe & will be following as soon as possible. 🙏 #OperationArk #AfghanRefugees pic.twitter.com/iQRgTtVKyT
— Humane Aware (@HumaneAware) August 27, 2021
But the “efforts continue to evacuate them too”:
I can confirm that Pen Farthing is heading back to UK with his rescue animals (not pets!) His staff are not with him. Efforts continue to evacuate them too. #PenFarthing #OperationArk @domdyer #Nowzad https://t.co/FZXluoRCv9
— Pip Tomson (@PipTomson) August 27, 2021
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