Thursday, April 28, 2011

A touch of Karma?

I know many of you saw my last posting, about one of the most horrific things I have ever seen on film. The video of a dog being thrown from a roof in Egypt has literally gone viral, with thousands posting, reposting, and posting again to draw attention to the gross animal neglect we see in Egypt. The petition that was launched less than 48 hours ago already has thousands of signatures, we still need more! Check here to find out where to sign the petition, or for the link to the video. [Warning...the video is very graphic]

W
hen the video of the dog went viral on April 25th, many were shocked, fuming, astounded that not only could this be allowed to happen, but that it was filmed and posted on facebook. The incident occurred three weeks ago, and Karma has come full swing. 

ESMA of course led the charge to see this dog served justice. Through a little innovation, ESMA got a hold of the phone number of the boy who had posted the video. The number was promptly given to ESMA's vet, Dr. Ahmed Hesham. It turns out that there were three involved, and the dog was simply seen as expendable. As one of the boys was quoted saying, "he bit my brother, and he is not pure [purebred]." 

Dr. Ahmed was also able to track down where they lived. It was by visiting the boys that he discovered that the dog in the video had died a few weeks previously. Worse still, we know that her death was not instant.  

What also became clear was the fact that these boys had thrown other animals from the building, although they claim "not from the roof, only the first floor." More frightening, in their apartment were living two more dogs. Dr. Ahmed immediately set the wheels in motion to rescue the two animals inside. 

It was one of ESMA's volunteer "rescue workers" that was able to get inside the house. He claims upon entering the first dog ran away. The second dog however, had not moved due to her two back legs being broken. I dread to imagine how they were broken. 

And here is where Karma comes into play. The dog, now named 'Rahma' which means mercy in Arabic, is safely in the ESMA shelter. 

Her companion's death will not go in vain it seems. The plight of these two dogs has finally resulted in people standing up and paying attention to animal neglect in Egypt. 

ESMA's two co-founders, Mona Khalil and Susie Nasser, are at this minute sitting in the DA's office in Cairo, with the two boys in police custody. The DA is looking for what can be done in terms of legal prosecution, I will keep you all updated here. 

Even if the boys who have been reprimanded (two boys - the third boy, who was also the "cameraman," claims to have no involvement other than filming the incident) are not charged legally, they will certainly never forget the harrowing hours spent in an Egyptian jail cell. Nor will the world forget the fight of one small animal rights organization to put animal rights in Egypt on the tip of everyone's tongue. 

If you are reading this, and you have not yet done so, please visit Cat Bless You on facebook. They have pledged 25,000 $ US to ESMA, if they can reach 25,000 likes by May 15th. 

Take a few minutes of your time to "like" the page, and make sure Rahma's story can continue. Make sure that ESMA can continue saving the animals in Egypt that so desperately need rescuing. 

Below are some pictures of the very cute, and very sweet Rahma. 

Her eyes tell her story better than we ever could


ESMA co-founder, Susie, with Rahma


Amazing the difference a few days can make

2 comments:

  1. I have been crying since I heard of this story, and I am so proud of ESMA and your work. I have signed, commented on and shared the petition. I hope that every little bit helps to put a stop to this horror. Rahma is adorable. I hope she gets adopted to a wonderful forever home soon.

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