Qatar is home to an estimated two to three million stray cats.
More than 20 cats have been rescued from the streets in Qatar and evacuated to a cat shelter in Houston, Texas.
Kathy Philipp Tzouliou recently orchestrated this rescue mission after reaching out to the Houston Humane Society, a non-profit animal protection shelter, back in November 2023.
Then, the Houston-based Pet Rescue made arrangements for the animals before they arrived on June 9.
Qatar is home to an estimated two to three million stray cats, largely because of its lack of resources for neuter and spay services.
In April 2022, a Wisconsin cat cafe stepped in to rescue 25 cats, marking another instance of cat rescue efforts originating from Qatar.
Milwaukee-based Sip & Purr Cat Cafe said at the time that all the cats had no future in Qatar.
“There are no government shelters or rescues in Qatar, very little community support for animal rescue, and animal adoption is extremely rare,” the cafe said in a Facebook post.
“For the cats we accept into our International Scholarship Adoption Program, Sip & Purr is the end of the line for these cats. All resources to find them homes abroad have been exhausted.”
“Some of these cats have been waiting for years to find a home or travel to the U.S.,” Sip & Purr added.
“We can never thank their foster homes in Qatar for never giving up on them. It took awhile, but their journey is just starting!”
Last month, Qatar Airways Cargo had transported six young lions to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in Johannesburg with the help of Animal Defenders International (ADI).
Known as the “Kuwait 6”, the lions included males Muheeb, Saham, Shujaa, Saif, and females Dhubiya and Aziza.
Previously housed at Kuwait Zoo, the lions were brought to the attention of ADI by Kuwaiti government officials seeking assistance.
ADI responded by offering the lions a permanent home at their massive 455-acre sanctuary in South Africa.
Mark Drusch, the chief cargo officer at Qatar Airways Cargo, stated that the”WeQare Rewild the Planet” initiative is dedicated to transporting wildlife and endangered species back to their natural habitats at no cost.
“It takes a lot of effort and logistics for our team to organise moving such large animals; from the logistics at the airports, loading and unloading the animals from the aircraft, to ensuring the correct cages and wellbeing of the animals are in place, but it is something we are all collectively very proud and passionate to be a part of,” he said.
Qatar Airways Cargo has the world’s largest animal transporter and the world’s leading international air cargo carrier in general. Their WeQare programme supported the ADI by covering the cost of the air transport back to Africa.
In 2022, Qatar Airways reported that about nine percent of all live animals were transported globally by air, travel on board its airline.
