Cats suffer as much as people do in Lebanon amid economic crisis

Record ID: 1626511

  • Title: Cats suffer as much as people do in Lebanon amid economic crisis
  • Date: 14th July 2021
  • Summary: BEIRUT, LEBANON (JULY 13, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TRAFFIC PASSING BY STRAY CATS IN THE STREET VARIOUS OF STRAY CATS IN THE STREET CAT WITH INFECTED EYE LOOKING ON BEIRUT, LEBANON (JULY 11, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CAT RESCUER SARA JAWAD PETTING CATS AT HER HOUSE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) CAT RESCUER, SARA JAWAD, SAYING: "I didn't use to get cats home like this, but when th
  • Embargoed: 28th July 2021 14:54
  • Keywords: Animals Cats Crisis. Pets Economy Lebanon
  • Location: BEIRUT, LEBANON
  • City: BEIRUT, LEBANON
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Topics: Middle East
  • Reuters ID: LVA001ELTCCPH
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Sara Jawad has spent the past year adopting stray cats who were abandoned on the streets of Beirut, and now has close to 22 felines in her home.
    The employee at the American University of Beirut says the number of cats being abandoned in Lebanon jumped as many pet owners struggle to keep up with their daily expenses amid a severe economic crisis that has hit every major sector in the country.
    She now relies mainly on donations to care for the animals and founded a social media page to raise funds.
    Similarly, Jana al-Jurdi, the president of the Students for Ethical Treatment of Animals (SETA) club at the American University of Beirut is facing the same difficulties as Jawad, with insufficient donations, forcing her to choose between providing medical care to injured cats or buying food for others.
    "Honestly, we're (operating) only through donations, sometimes we even pay from our own pocket, some days we're even prioritizing, we say we can do for this cat this operation and not that, the cheaper, to be able to treat them, save them and rescue others," she said.
    Lebanon is suffering from what the World Bank has described as one of deepest depressions in modern history. The currency has lost more than 90% of its value in less than two years and more than half the population has sunk into poverty.
    (Production: Alaa Kanaan)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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