I had the privilege of speaking with Mr. Michael Mountain, president of Best Friends Animal Society while they were at the height of his work with Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA), in the effort to airlift nearly 300 dogs and cats out of Beirut and in the U.S. to be placed in new homes.Though this interview took place on August 28, 2006 and animals were moved to the U.S. on September 25, 2006, he wanted to put this interview because the BETA is doing work is ongoing and should be highlighted, and the Best Friends Animal Society is an organization that every animal lover in the U.S. . should be familiar with.During the course of our conversation Mr. Mountain made me more aware of: who is BETA, what they are doing, what their small organization is against, what conditions are really like for animals and Pet owners in the Middle East at this point, all the ways that best friends are using their resources to help small humanitarian groups worldwide, as well as animals in the U.S., and how citizens stakeholders can help.I hope you enjoy reading this interview and if your heart is warmed by what these groups are doing or visit http:// http://www.bestfriends.org/ www.network.bestfriends.org/ to learn how you can help.Is the name of the BETA of the campaign and what does that represent Mountain: Well, that's not really the name of the campaign. That's the group in Beirut, Lebanon and its full name is Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. They are the only human society, we know at least in Lebanon, and the only one I know, so you can be pretty sure that they are the only one.And only a small group of people-what in this country is called to a rescue group, rather than express his opinion, the human society. Running three shelters in Beirut and its surroundings, and all that were damaged during the bombings, and so on, one of them has an immediate direct impact. Therefore, it was about 300, or near, dogs and cats in the shelters at all, and had to evacuate everyone. And a German woman who offers the use of a small farm about 15 miles outside the city, a pig farm, in fact, the former pig farm. And so, just re-worked, you know, some of the hurdles, and this and that, and moved to all dogs and cats in a couple of apartments. About 150 cats in two or three apartments is a rather tight situation. But dogs were also more secure. But that's what they are, that's what it is BETA-Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. And indeed, it is worth adding, if you mention his name, which are not related to the group in this country, that what you heard, which is PETA, which is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. And some people think, oh, must be a branch of PETA or anything, they are not.So, which are the principal handle mountain rescue efforts in Lebanon: Yes, Yes, they are. That's all there in the country. This is a small group of women, mainly young people to go out and rescue the animals and feed them in the shelter, and all that kind of thing.Well, guess what I mean is, how is the best friend affiliated with them in terms of the mountain rescue efforts: Umm. It is simply that we are now helping to provide food and supplies, and so on. We have been sending money through a regular for them, and the problem they are having is that you have to get basically all theses animals, 300 dogs and cats, new people homes.When evacuees, who were unable or told not to bring their dogs and cats with them, so many of them just let them back into the shelters. BETA People can not care for them long term. It's not like in this country where you have people go out and adopt animals and things like that. Therefore, it is very difficult to place in new homes. The whole country is plunged into chaos. So what have volunteered to do basically is to bring them all here and put in good new homes here, which will allow people to rescue BETA a little more and deal with your home, but without to take care of 300 of these long term.So, that's basically the part that we're playing, moreover, they provide all food and supplies and the money they need at the moment, because it is impossible to do any fundraising in this country now. Therefore, no long-term means of support, and no way of caring for the animals in the long term, and no way to continue their rescue and other things while they are still trying to simply look, even after these 300 animals everyday.Will best friends that the management of animal transport in the U.S. Mountain: Exactly. Yes adoption is the easy part here. We already have applications for all animals really, you know. Everyone will want a dog or cat Beirut, it's almost like a pet of the war. People are always offering to adopt dogs and cats as well. The hard part is to return here. Carry about 300 dogs and cats transcontinental flight … yet there is a blockage, the Israelis still have a blockage on Lebanon, so in reality you can not come and go at the moment. Of course, there is the cost of transporting them all, because we are talking about implementation, basically a transport plane, cargo plane, and then have all their health checks and behavior and so on, when you get to sanctuary, and then to their new homes. Quite expensive Operation.When did all this begin? When do rescue work with the best friends of Mountain: Almost as soon as the war started, you know. As soon as the bombs began to hit Beirut, in particular, but also farther south, so it was a month long do ago.How rescue efforts to last Mountain: Well, if we are talking about specific dogs and cats 300 … um, how long does it take to get here, is that what you say Yes, the 300, but there is also a plan to continue aid for injured animals in future chaos Mountain continued there:? We are treating this situation as a one time thing. We are not planning to be there for the long term, except in support of the people of BETA, by the time they need support and funding, and so on, to do what they are doing. But probably, we estimate about a month to get all the dogs and cats around here and get the situation stabilized somewhat. Once stabilized a bit, then we will see in there.Who is in charge of this mission? Who put together Mountain: Well, you mean the name of a person Yes.Mountain: Actually not a single person. This leads to a team of people and we have the best friends, a kind of department or division's best friends, called the Rapid Response Team. And that comes into play whenever there is any emergency at any place. Depending on what is an emergency, which draw on the relevant staff in this case for their role in it. You could probably best show with a couple of examples.This Last year we were in … um … Hurricane Katrina, which involved about 70 people on staff here and hundreds of volunteers. And that involved the efforts of rescue boats in New Orleans. We have created a sanctuary for all capacity for 300 animals at a time, dogs and cats, on the outskirts of the city and we are still looking for some of them after a year later today. So that's kind of fast Response.Another One would be the rescue of Great Rabbit, and had to do with 1,600 rabbits in the backyard of a person, believe it or not.Wow Mountain: That's what everyone says, "Wow!" And to say once again, get them out, creating a rabbit rescue ranch, as we called him, he was out of Reno, Nevada, from all the rabbits, to make all spayed and neutered, and care, and many of them were in pretty bad state. And the last of the 500 is only going to new homes this week, actually. Therefore, and has returned to take a few months to do. Therefore, it is a different kind of … And now you have this other is not so much for creating a rescue ranch for themselves, you only work with the people there and carry the whole organization and adoption. Not one person, so to speak, everything is handled by this rapid response had mentioned all Team.You Hurricane Katrina, how has made the best friends better prepared for this tragedy in Lebanon Mountain: Well, the answer to the to be – tremendously. Really changed in many ways, the way you work. Just as an example of that in the first 10 days after the hurricane, we have received here at the sanctuary, 10,000 calls and 78,000 emails. That is just the first 10 days, which was obviously more than he could handle. So, that meant creating a different way of relating to people who call in offering help, people who need help, and launched the Best Friends Network as we have today. It is not our main website, which is http://www.bestfriends.org, this is http://www.network.bestfriends.org. And that is basically through the Best Friends Network, people can collaborate and work with other rescue programs in any of their needs may be. Actually still in beta test format is like a 1.0. Instead of the best friends then a sort of rescue organization in need, and whatever, that people have, and here instead of calling or sending an email here, are arranged in the network. Truth is that they have restructured all the way best friends from work. That was the main thing.So, the Network offers people who are not professionals the opportunity to help animals Mount: Yes I mean it is not especially large-scale rescue, this is a situation that could be happening in his home town, and someone has a problem that needs help and if they are part of the network, you can get help from other people. It could be something as simple as a neighbor of someone older can not go further and take your dog for a walk. Therefore, they will find someone in your network who lives nearby and maybe a little help from them and …. It's really that kind of stuff, things daily routine. But when there is a big event, then people can sign up to volunteer, you can start organizing your part of the bailout, and so on, and work together to get it done. Therefore, the thing is infinitely expandable, whatever the particular need is.How say that this particular tragedy is different from Hurricane Katrina Mountain: Well, in many ways. And in a funny way, it is not. You have exactly the same things in place, there are people who are ordered to evacuate and leave their pets in both cases, so there are all these dogs and cats. And we are talking about are those that have been rescued. I mean, there are hundreds, thousands, donkeys and horses, and zoo animals, starving basically all there is. I mean, it's just a very bad there situation.Are exotic animals also be rescued by Best Friends Mountain: A group of primates that are helping us to move to other sanctuaries in Europe. And there are zoo animals, the difficulty with them is that they are all owned by, you know, the one with the zoo, and … not necessarily be …. What I really like to do is go in and about zoos and animals move elsewhere, but we can not get permission to do that.Do have exact figures on how many wild animals, Best Friends has assisted in the placement? Mountain elsewhere: No. We have no firm numbers and prefers not to try to put a figure which represents a kind of just trying to understand the whole thing in this oil moment.The covering the beaches of Lebanon a great concern, best friends from participating in any way to help animals that have been affected by the mountain: We BETA and friends have not really gotten into that, but it is just another part of the total disaster . I mean, there are fish that are drowning because they can not get oxygen there. There are birds, and this is actually the turtle nesting season, a lot of babies are born with no hope of getting to the beaches on the ocean. So … but it becomes a whole, which is a big question fauna of the environment, which is not something we can handle. That would be, you know, with experience … such things have to be organized by a government, and no government can not do that at this time. Moreover, the blockade is still happening, you can not get … you can not come to the beach, on boats from the outside, and can not be … good boat, basically, you can not go out and. Therefore, it is very difficult for anyone to do anything about it. It's just a giant mess.After have been in the area and see the state of affairs, what are some goals for the coming weeks Mountains: They are quite narrow and simple. An organization and a rescue group out there can not be saved across the country, obviously. So our goal is very simple for individuals 300 dogs and cats out of the country safely, then a large new housing in this country. And then work with BETA, just to help them in everything they feel they can take in the next, which is basically the rescue of more cats and dogs, and do everything possible for others that you mentioned, the exotic, animal the zoo and, in particular, all horses and donkeys, and so on, used, you know, pulling wagons and carts and everything in the streets of many small towns and villages. And they are now walking around with nowhere to go and no food. Therefore, if we can help with some of them, it would be nice to relate a couple too.Would really touching stories that have affected the workers' best friends and emotionally BETA Mountain: I think one of them … and none of these dogs and cats actually have names we do not know who they are, no names have been given to them, but they really do not have names before.I I talk about a dog and a cat. The cat, a Siamese cat, and belonged to a Canadian lady was being evacuated, lovely sweet pussy. And people were not rescue this cat on the street, like the woman was going to go back to Canada and asked if he wanted the cat care, and perhaps help you get back home. And the woman said: "No. I think I'll leave. Not really needed. "So that's kind of poignant story a bit sad, but that is for many of the animals that are abandoned there.And the other is a dog that could be rescued again, basically by purchasing a family dog, a small town Lebanese family who had this dog tied up outside because they had a home. And they were very reluctant to give the dog, this dog needs medical attention. And so, as I say, that ended only the purchase of this family, which is a form of (a.) saving dogs, probably help the family survive a day or less, and is typical of the kind of thing that is involved in the rescue of there.There 's other three dogs also probably worth mentioning, they were rescued by a couple of TV news crew, one of them was NBC and the other British television era. I do not know what company it was, but they are working out of a hotel, I forget which city, if it came to Beirut and Tyre. I think it was actually the tires, and there are all these dogs that were just a little spinning on the edge of the beaches, and trying to find away to eat, and so on. And basically, rescued and one kind of semi-adopted these three dogs and then brought to the house last week and wrote about them, in fact, in his own website, somewhere on the MSNBC website I think. The lady who was basically in charge of the team of journalists and rescue, his name is Heather Allen, and three dogs are those of someone who will return here.Is there anything I would like to add Mountain: I think it is only important for be a kind of clear on the difference between what the Beta Group, Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is doing, and what best friends are doing. We are not the same thing. We are here to support them, they are the ones rescuing the animals at the time. And our part in this, is to help them move forward, and then these dogs and cats, you know, evacuated and out in good new homes. Therefore, they are doing their thing and we are doing everything thing.The others also worth saying is that there were no animals on the Israeli side, who are also suffering and for rocket attacks from the Lebanese side against Israel, and have been working with them too. Several Israeli groups, which are much better organized than the Lebanese side. So there, I dunno, probably about a dozen humanitarian organizations in Israel, while there is only only one in Lebanon. But we have been working with both sides.How can animal lovers in question help? Financial donations are the best way to Mountain: Now that's the simplest thing. And on our website, where we are collecting all this, and just go to http://www.bestfriends.org/, and you can (a.) make donations to the effort, whether that goes directly to animal care or go around to the back of transport. Therefore, it is one thing to donate, and you too can join in the adoption of animals and also for volunteer.Well, thank you Mr. Mountain lot. You have helped us understand the situation in southern Lebanon both better.Mountain: Well, that's great.I actually, once again, thank you for taking the time to talk to me about side note for anyone this.A read this interview: I left out a part of my conversation with Mr. Mountain, which deviated somewhat in areas of personal interest, a little less relevant, but in this discussion referred to the work of the Brooke Animal Hospital . Arroyo Veterinary Hospital has branches in Jordan, Egypt, and the memory of Mr Mountain, Afghanistan. This hospital is mainly donkeys and horses used to pull carts. I'm offering you one bit of information for anyone who might be interested or wish to donate.