War-Torn Nations: How Animals Are The Forgotten Casualties Of Conflict
As we lose more lives to the continuous hostilities in ongoing conflicts in countries across the Middle East, there is no doubt that the human cost is worth far more than just money. Consequently, NGOs respond to these situations by attempting to provide assistance in whatever form to those whose lives are at risk. They don’t make any money because their primary goal is to save and enhance people’s lives.
Animals’ lives, on the other hand, are significant because they have souls and are crucial to our society. However, given the current violent conflicts in various parts of the region, assisting animals may be incredibly difficult.
Violence is engulfing Yemen as the country’s prolonged civil war takes its toll on everyone, causing food and medicine shortages across the country. This is true not only for humans but also for animals who have been through a lot of hardships throughout their lives. A group of animal lovers known as Ataa has worked tirelessly to enhance and save those animals.
Unfortunately, the organization was forced to close due to financial difficulties that affect the entire country, not just them.
Zahra Haid, the creator of Ataa, spoke with The National News about the organization and how it came to be:
The campaign was founded by ten animal lovers in reaction to the rise in violence against innocent animals who are unable to protect themselves against mistreatment.
Zahra Haid via The National News
The sad fact is that members of Ataa were unable to save a lot of animals due to aircraft raids, which are common and always result in total annihilation. This is a huge dilemma for them because they need to get there on time but are constantly held up by the number of airstrikes that utterly derail their plans.
Zahra Haid spoke to The National News about the issue because the country is experiencing severe economic and financial hardships, with Yemeni employees’ pay being cut and resources being scarce. They are only able to operate because of contributions from members who offer them a glimmer of optimism that they will be able to continue moving forward with this worthy mission.
However, Yemen is not the only country where this problem exists; in Palestine, animal welfare groups care for street dogs and cats who have been injured as a result of the continuous fighting. Saeed El-Aer, the owner of Sulala Society for Animal Care, has been searching the streets of Gaza for abandoned animals in order to provide them with medicine and assistance. However, due to the large number of airstrikes that rarely stop due to a ‘ceasefire,’ assisting them is a difficult undertaking, but one worth attempting.
Without a question, we live in a tragic reality in which we lose both human and animal lives as a result of armed conflicts that work as grim reapers, stealing the souls of people we love and stripping a country of its resources. Those battles rob us of hope for a better future and require us to risk our lives in order to achieve the most basic of human rights: the right to survive. We hope that one day, all will change and there will be a light at the end of the tunnel.
