As demolition crews prepare to tear down the oldest animal shelter in Afghanistan with barely any notice, over 100 rescued animals have been forced to flee the only haven they have ever known.
After deciding they needed the land for roads and high-rise office buildings, the authorities gave our partner, Nowzad, just one month to find a new home for their animals.
The bulldozers are coming for Afghanistan’s first-ever animal sanctuary – and when they arrive, they won’t stop for the animals.
Nowzad’s sanctuary and animal hospital have provided safe shelter and life-saving care to thousands of vulnerable animals. Now, everything they have fought for is at risk. Credit: Nowzad
For 18 years, Nowzad has been a lifeline for animals in Afghanistan, providing safe shelter for hundreds and delivering critical care to thousands more through turbulent times of war and Taliban rule. Donkeys, horses, dogs and cats – all rescued from unimaginable abuse and neglect – finally found hope and healing under Nowzad’s care.
But now, everything is at risk.
After trying in vain to secure an extension, our partner leapt into action to save their animals from being abandoned yet again. But with so little notice, they are scrambling to build the facilities they need at their new site, and their animals are currently staying in inadequate temporary shelters as they race to raise funds and start construction.
The bulldozers won’t wait, and neither can we!
We must save the sanctuary and the animals before it’s too late.
With the demolition crews bearing down and the animals forced into overcrowded temporary shelters, we must supercharge our construction efforts right away.
This means paying five years of land rental to secure the new site, building new stables, kennels and a cattery, and establishing fully-equipped veterinary wards for the countless animals requiring emergency vet care every month.
Nowzad is a haven for Afghanistan’s vulnerable animals. We must build a new shelter and save the animals who so desperately depend on it. Credit: Nowzad
Without immediate action, Afghanistan will lose one of its only animal sanctuaries and hospitals, leaving countless animals with nowhere to turn.
This crisis threatens the lives of 15 permanent donkey and horse residents, and 97 rescue cats and dogs currently recovering at the hospital.
We need your help to ensure Nowzad can continue its life-saving work for animals in Afghanistan.
Babri, Maqbola and Tallulah – all saved from heartbreaking conditions by Nowzad – are at risk of losing the only loving home they have ever known. Credit: Nowzad
Without this shelter, so many animals will have no-one to turn to – animals like Babri, an elderly dog once condemned to a brutal life of dog-fighting; Maqbola, a donkey whose leg was shattered after being hit by a car; Tallulah, a foal abandoned by her owner for being ‘too ugly’ after an attack tore off both her ears.
All of these animals are now healthy and safe in our partner’s care – but unless we act, their only haven will disappear forever.
This sanctuary has been a beacon of hope through war, poverty and chaos. We cannot let it be reduced to rubble. Please, give as generously as you can to help us rebuild the sanctuary, protect the animals, and keep 18 years of vital work alive.
