Famous 'Cat man of Aleppo' under siege as two of his cat sanctuaries are bombed
Famous 'Cat man of Aleppo' under siege as two of his cat sanctuaries are bombed and he hands off some cats to people fleeing the area as he hunkers down inside
By Kiri Blakeley For Dailymail.com
Published: 19:48 EST, 30 November 2016 | Updated: 21:29 EST, 30 November 2016
Increased airstrikes in Aleppo, Syria have meant misery and death for both human and animal.
Mohammad Alaa Aljalee, a compassionate ambulance driver who remained in the country to care for hundreds of stray cats left behind when families fled their pets, has recently been forced to stay indoors due to the danger of being arrested or killed as his world famous cat sanctuary was bombed two weeks ago.
Many cats as well as its mascot dog, Hope, were killed.
Ambulance driver and cat lover Mohammad Alaa Aljalee stayed behind in Aleppo to care for the hundreds of stray cats, many left behind by families fleeing the country
The sanctuary housed hundreds of stray cats and served as an oasis of gentleness in the hell of war, with children often coming to visit and play with the felines.
Aljalee took care of the animals with the help of cat-loving donors from around the world.
But recently the heart-warming story took a turn for the worse as the area around the sanctuary became a constant target for bombings.
Aljaleel's ambulance, which he used daily to transport children and adults to the hospital, was also destroyed, as was the gutted city's last hospital.
Aljaleel, known as Ernesto or Alaa, who has been chronicling his rescue efforts faithfully on Facebook, was able to relocate the cats to a room in a safer area of Aleppo after the sanctuary was destroyed.
But within the past few days, that area too was too close to bombings, and Aljaleel began giving the cats to people who were fleeing to safer areas, said Alessandra Abidin, a rescue worker who has been assisting Aljaleel.
In one of their last night's of peace before Aljalee's son, Adel, had to flee, he and his father go to sleep with one of their pet cats
Now the humanitarian's life is in danger - and his young son is being forced to flee the area.
On Wednesday, Abidin wrote on Facebook : 'This is the last night you'll see Alaa with his son, the little Adel. Tomorrow [he] will try to go with his mother in a safer area, Alaa and adult males can not get out, they can be killed or arrested, so the women and children go away.'
It's unclear how many cats have been whisked to potential safety, but Abidin posted pictures of several cats hanging around the old sanctuary, where they are fed rice on the ground. Aljaleel tries to mix the rice with meat, but supplies have been getting more scarce and expensive.
On Tuesday, Abidin said the area was being bombed so heavily that Aljaleel was trying to seek shelter, 'running away from home to home.'
Aljaleel has gone quiet on Facebook in recent days as Internet access has become more difficult and his situation more precarious.
In September, Aljaleel told the BBC he planned to stay with the cats 'no matter what' and had taken a vow to protect them.
'I regard animals and humans in the same light. All of them suffer pain, and all of them deserve compassion,' he said.
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After his famous sanctuary was bombed, Aljalee was able to find a secure room for the animals, but then that too was bombed
Aid worker Alessandra Abidin, who has been helping Aljaleel, posted this picture of a bomb that landed very close to the cat sanctuary
In one of their last night's of peace before Aljalee's son, Adel, had to flee, he and his father go to sleep with one of their pet cats
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Wally highly approve. It's sad that one place (other than children's hospitals), can't be left alone in this hell hole. There is no reprieve in this country.
Publicity like this for the suffering of Aleppo cannot hurt. Some people will read this story that haven't been paying any attention at all to what is going on over there.
'''I regard animals and humans in the same light. All of them suffer pain, and all of them deserve compassion,' he said.''
A tiny bit of humanity left in Syria.
The “Clown of Aleppo,” who tried to bring joy to children in the war-torn Syrian city, has been killed in an airstrike.
Anas al-Basha was a 24-year-old director of Space for Hope, an organization that supports schools and centers for children in eastern Aleppo.
The rebel stronghold has been under regular bombardment from Syrian government and Russian forces, whose missile strike is believed to have killed al-Basha on Tuesday.
Samar Hijazi, the clown’s supervisor, said she will remember him as someone who loved to work with children, including those who have lost one or both parents in more than five years of civil war.
Syrian mother shares emotional tweets amid Aleppo bombing
A post on the Children of Syria Facebook page said “with him the besieged children in Aleppo laughed” calling him “the last Clown of Aleppo.”
Al-Basha was a director at Space for Hope, which supports schools in Syria.
(UNCREDITED/AP)Hope in the city near Syria’s border with Turkey has dimmed after five months of onslaught.