From Beirut to Utah: 150 dogs, 145 cats are rescued

ANGEL CANYON, Kane County — Emilie's curly white locks of hair twisted and swirled around her petite face as she eagerly sniffed the air of her new surroundings at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary near Kanab.

"She's so sweet," Elissa Jones said as she cuddled Emilie, one of 150 shelter dogs airlifted out of Beirut, Lebanon, on Sunday, in a joint effort by Best Friends and another animal-rescue group, Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or BETA.

Along with Emilie and her 149 canine companions, Best Friends also brought 145 cats out of the war-torn region in a marathon relay flight to southern Utah that ended early Tuesday morning.

The animals appeared to travel well in their carriers as they flew from Beirut to Manchester, England, then to New York and on to Las Vegas. From there, Best Friends staff transferred the pet carriers to waiting trucks for the four-hour drive to the animals' new, temporary home.

Michael Mountain, who started Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Angel Canyon on the outskirts of Kanab in 1983, said donations helped pay the $250,000 tab for the complicated airlift. The chartered cargo jet carried 10 employees of BETA and Best Friends, in addition to the 295 dogs and cats housed in pet carriers.

"We made our connection with BETA in Lebanon on Aug. 29, which was eerie because it was literally the same day last year when we began helping with the Hurricane Katrina animal rescues," said Mountain. "It was really touching to see the animal rescue groups in Israel and Lebanon trying to help each other out."

During the conflict, people were told to evacuate their homes and leave their animals behind, he said. BETA volunteers, who were mostly women with advanced educational degrees and professional careers, stepped in to care for the abandoned animals.

"They would go to their day jobs and then each evening take care of these 300 dogs and cats," Mountain explained. "Then they had to evacuate the animals from BETA's damaged city shelter and move them to a farm in the hills. They're also trying to save zoo animals and working animals like horses and donkeys."

The most meaningful way that Best Friends could help in the rescue effort, he said, was for the Utah facility to take the animals so BETA could rebuild its shelters.