Afghan animal rescuers:
While Pen Farthing has returned to the UK, along with 173 animals thanks to Operation Ark, his staff are still trapped in Afghanistan. Here, Pen’s wife, Kaisa, says they won’t rest until their friends are brought to safety...
“Our battle to save lives has only just begun”
After a traumatic two weeks,
Kaisa Farthing breathed a sigh of relief when she learned that her husband, Paul – known as Pen – had finally touched down on British soil. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on 15 August, he had been pleading with the British government to help him in his rescue mission, the now famous Operation Ark.
Pen, 52, had vowed not to leave the war-town country without the 71 staff who work for his charity, Nowzad, which reunites servicemen with the animals they befriended while serving, and more than 200 animals in their care.
But tragically, while Pen and most of the animals were evacuated, the Taliban refused to let his staff on the flight.
Pen’s evacuation without his staff has caused much controversy. Critics wrongly believed that British military resources had been used to rescue animals, rather than people – despite the flight being privately funded by Operation Ark supporters. Celebrities also waded in on the debate, with TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp saying that people had been told “animals matter more”.
Pen has been quick to defend himself, saying that “at no time did I put animals before people.” And now, speaking exclusively to Closer, his wife, Kaisa, says they won’t rest until their loved ones in Afghanistan are safe. Kaisa, 30, who is currently at home in her native Norway, says, “We expected people to be understanding of Pen’s escape, but everyone jumped to conclusions. Now, he’s tired, frustrated by all the red tape, but still 100 per cent determined to help the friends we left behind, and despite what some might believe, our focus is on trying to evacuate as many people as we can.
NIGHTMARE
“I’ve been sent videos by the girls I worked with of people being beaten with sticks by the Taliban – it’s brutal and terrifying and we will not give up trying to get our friends out safely. Our nightmare is far from over.”
As an ex-Royal Marine, Pen knows only too well the reality of fighting the Taliban, having served in Helmand Province in 2006. It was during this time that he witnessed an organised dog fight in a remote town called Nowzad. He broke it up, and went on to adopt one of the dogs involved. This eventually inspired him to set up his charity, and by the time Pen was forced to leave Afghanistan, he had 71 staff, 140 dogs, 60 cats, 12 donkeys, two horses, one goat and one cow, relying on him.
Kaisa moved to Afghanistan in October 2019 to work with an NGO, Ascend Athletics, which empowers young women through athletic activities, such as mountain climbing.
She says, “It takes bravery to climb, but you also learn teamwork, focus, communication, and how to take responsibility. And when you reach the summit and look back at how far you’ve come, it’s so empowering. We were teaching young women that they could conquer anything.”
She met Pen in January
2020 when their organisations joined forces for an educational project.
Kaisa says, “He’s my best friend and the love of my life. To live in Kabul you have to have a sense of adventure, be able to cope with danger and look after yourself. Pen has all of those things and so much compassion.
And he’s a wonderful partner. He’s a tough guy, but he’s romantic – he hates coffee, even the smell, but he treated me to a fancy coffee machine because he knew how much I loved it. He writes me notes and loves taking me for dinner.”
FORCED TO FLEE
But when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, Kaisa knew she had to flee. She says, “I had no choice – I faced being shot if I stayed due to my work, but it was agonising leaving Pen.”
Kaisa escaped on 19 August. She says, “At the airport, there was a sea of people desperate to leave. One woman even asked me to take her baby. We were packed, nose to nose, barely able to breathe. I felt so lucky to get on a plane.”
Once safe, Kaisa anxiously waited to hear news from her husband. She says, “By that point, the public had donated thousands to Operation Ark,
and Pen was lobbying the
British government for help, but everything was so uncertain. On a couple of occasions, I broke down and cried, imagining the possibility I’d be facing life without him.”
It was during this time, when tensions were high, that Pen left an expletive-laden voicemail for a government aide, accusing him of blocking his evacuation efforts – the voicemail was subsequently leaked to the press.
Kaisa says, “Pen was in a war zone, surviving on a few hours’ sleep a night, with the Taliban literally outside his door. He was under immense stress and what he said was in the heat of the moment. I think if anyone tried to imagine themselves in that position, they might have reacted in the same way,”
On 26 August, Pen was at Kabul airport when a bomb went off, killing over 100 people. Kaisa says, “He’d had all his staff and animals there ready to take off via a privately chartered commercial plane funded by donations. But at one of the checkpoints, the Taliban pointed an AK47 at his head and told him they had to leave. He begged on his hands and knees, but they wouldn’t be persuaded.”
CHECKPOINTS
At that point, Pen says his staff told him it was “time to go”, amid concerns for his safety. On his second attempt three days later, he was allowed through the checkpoint, and onto a plane with his animals, who were stored in the hold. After the 11-hour flight, Pen landed safely in the UK, where the animals are now quarantining.
Kaisa says, “All the animals have homes to go to, and their owners are eagerly awaiting their release. There were some reports that animals would have to be put down, but that’s simply not true. The working animals, such as the cow and donkeys, have remained in Afghanistan, as the Taliban see them as useful. The Nowzad sanctuary is still open, and they’re being looked after there.”
Pen and Kaisa were reunited in Oslo, Norway. Kaisa says, “When I saw Pen, it was an immediate release of stress, I think I actually felt my pulse drop. He was exhausted, but so happy to see me. I even managed to get some sleep that night. I still have nightmares though, and when I wake up, I don’t feel refreshed.”
Now, the couple say they’ll keep fighting to rescue those they left behind. Kaisa says, “I miss all the girls I worked with terribly. We had such a strong sense of community and I loved being greeted by their smiley faces each morning. It’s too dangerous to talk specifics, but
❛ PEOPLE ACCUSED PEN OF PUTTING ANIMALS BEFORE PEOPLE – BUT THAT WAS NEVER THE CASE ❜
some of our friends have escaped, and we will save the others.
“Physically our friends who have fled are unharmed, but they need counselling. They also need provisions – many of them have just a toothbrush and the clothes they were wearing when they escaped.
“Others are still there in hiding and we have to try to get them out. We are literally working round the clock. The airport and all the borders are closed, but the Taliban need supplies to come in and out of the country, so they do need some open routes. We hope that we can be a part of that somehow, and that might be an escape route.”
Kaisa also says she fears for animals in Afghanistan. She says, “People accused Pen of putting animals before people – it was never that. But there’s a real animal welfare problem that cannot be ignored. We had many programmes educating people on how to treat animals and that needs to continue somehow.
FEARS
“I’m not sure what the future holds for Nowzad – at the moment, all our focus is on getting our staff to safety.
But Nowzad was specific to Afghanistan and the issues going on out there, so we can’t just set it up elsewhere.”
Now Kaisa wants to ensure Afghanistan stays in the spotlight. She says, “I worry Afghanistan will fade from the news and that this vibrant country will be forgotten, along with the people and animals there. They need us more than ever.”
● For more information, vist ascendathletics.org and nowzad.com