Show compassion to Pen and his animals

FORMER Royal Marine and animal rescuer Pen Farthing is desperately trying to get his staff and animals out of Afghanistan to safety, yet the MoD under the rule of Minister for Defence Ben Wallace is refusing to allow the animals safe passage even though many good people have stepped up to pay for a private plane.

The fact these animals will not be taking up any space because they’ll all be travelling in the hold hasn’t made any difference to the MoD because they don’t want to be seen as soft. What kind of world are we living in where compassion is viewed as weakness?

I hope to offer one of the rescue dogs a home after a dog we had walked for two years for our disabled neighbours got out of their back garden and was killed by a train.

But it’s not just animals he’s trying to get out. He’s trying to get his staff to safety too. Pen Farthing has offered 250 seats for people trying to escape the Taliban. It’s not brave Pen’s fault that the Taliban are now in charge – it’s the fault of Biden and our own unfeeling government who never took into account a crisis unfolding of epic proportion.

Our politicians need to realise we are a nation of animal lovers who can’t just stand by and see animals suffer.

Please send an urgent message to MPs urging them to allow Pen to leave with his staff and animals.

For those who think animals don’t count maybe Pen’s comments will show them the priority over people that our so- called officials place in order of importance: After seeing pictures of a car being placed on an evacuation flight, he said he was “not backing down”.

Judi Hewitt Wales Against Animal Cruelty