Vocal Voices

When the pull-out from Afghanistan was was announced former marine Paul "Pen" Farthing announced that he would not leave without his staff and rescue animals - a registered charily. That is the admirable bit. He was told many times by officials and the military that animal's v people's lives would not be prioritised on flights out, but he carried on. I do not blame him, though he failed.

He has now said that if he has to leave without his dogs and animals he will put them down on the runway at Kabul airport when he leaves. This is the disgusting bit. He is prepared to make a humanist and political statement by euthanising the animals he professes to love in order to make his point. I can, almost, but cannot understand.

He has had time to humanely kill the animals and bury them humanely, yet he wants to kill them out in the open, for the media, so that he can make a statement. It is so wrong.

Frank, he's a desperate man! There are some terrible stories coming out about what the Taliban are doing to rescue animals. If he can't get them out, euthanising would be the kindest option He is not asking for his animals to take up spaces that people could occupy, as animals go in the hold, and people can't.

Kaz wrote:Frank, he's a desperate man!

Agree, but to kill his animals on the runway?

Re the hold. At 10,000 ft (3,600m) above sea level and in an uncontrolled environment the air pressure and temperature would be about 1/20 sea level and also at -15 ºC, so not survivable over even a short journey without masks / suits.

Holds, in military aircraft, are not pressurised and are for cargo not people or animals. If they were we could get many more people out per flight. We do not because the planes are not equipped that way. Worked with them.

I can see the Government issue and I can see his issue. I saw today that we are talking around 200 animals. This is a fairly significant amount and if he gets to take them it will wind up in endless arguments for others who want to take animals with them including bogus claims that they are "trained".

The Government took a blanket approach, no animals, problem solved.

His intention to kill them all on the runway is to force the government to think again and turn public opinion against the government. It's rock and a hard place time. I can't see any way the UK can realistically allow the animals to travel, but that's for the politicians to work through. For him, the animals will need to die anyway, he would rather use that situation to try and save some of them, or all of them, if he can.

I admire his commitment to the animals. I don't envy the government on this one.

Pen Farthing. Aerosol!

So he gets himself and the dogs and cats out, but then leaves the humans in his team behind to their fate. What a man!! Now he says that he has "true deep feeling of sadness for Afghan today". I bet he does! I cannot express my deep disgust for this example of the worst version of humanity. Cnut.

Couldn't put it better Frank.

I have read that he has now gone to Oslo to see his wife.

Who is looking after the animals?

Any /all of them that may be diseased will be out down

Despicable man

Some people think more of animals than they do of humans.

Some humans deserve that level of respect...

Animal rescue organisations have taken the animals. He had no choice but to leave his staff. The alternative was to stay. They would ALL have got out several days earlier if Biden hadn't changed the rules at the last minute. Why wouldn't he want to go and see his wife, after what they've been through?

Why so angry at the man, what's he done to you?!!

I presume if he could have got them all out he would have done. Its not as if it was a choice of humans or animals, and he chose the animals. As I understood it he wasn't given the chance to take his staff this time?