This Pen Farthing guy

[TheGenealogist]

The bloke with the animal shelter in Kabul.

Refusing to leave unless he can take ALL of his 60 odd staff and ALL of his 200+ cats and dogs with him. Expecting the government to make special rules for him and his friends.

Getting people out - understandable. The Taliban aren't going to look kindly on people who have translated for the military, or "collaborated" in other ways. But staff at an animal shelter?

And as for the refusing to leave without the animals and making this all out to be the UK government's fault? For not falling over themselves to arrange transport for a bunch of ownerless animals nobody wants when there are human beings in fear of their lives?

What is this guy playing at?

Why are you so insistent in talking as though there are no at risk human beings on that plane?

Would it be better to have a stream of the biggest passenger aircraft in those slots? Full to capacity, every one? Probably. But that isn’t the situation and thanks to the UK and the US it won’t be the situation. So he’s just doing what he can, for the people that he works with.
He’s not claiming their lives are worth more than anyone else’s. They aren’t claiming their lives are worth more than anyone else’s. It’s only a load of peevish keyboard warriors on here claiming that.

It's no secret that the evacuation effort is being severely hampered by the limitations of a single runway and very limited time slots for all the various nations' evacuation flights.

You can't put a load of children in the hold. Animals are in cages for a reason - people moving about intentionally or unintentionally can be crushed by the landing gear. The risk of death for animals is also quite high - you have to sign waivers when you board with a pet. Pretty sure not all of his animals will make it.

He's doing what he can to protect his staff and animals. I don't blame him for not wanting to leave his educated female employees to be raped by the Taliban and their hard work undone as animals are made homeless. Human nature to love those closest to you more than strangers even if illogical, much like those with family members will be fighting for their family in particular to get out. The whole thing is a disgusting mess and I can't bring myself to be angry at someone who has someone who has devoted their lives to other beings and continues to do so at his own risk.

Advanced search... you don’t like dogs.

Advanced search also reveals the OP doesn't actually care all too much for people given their views on covid restrictions. Happy to risk a life if it means they aren't mildly inconvenienced, not happy to save a life it means helping a dog rescue centre. Strange set of morals if you ask me.

@Brainwave89

Even if the plane is paid for, to accommodate it requires air traffic schedule and work by UK and American security staff to get him into the airport. All to the potential detriment of others. I will get flamed for this, but animals are not a priority, people are and working in an animal sanctuary should not give you a ticket out of Kabul ahead of staff who have worked with the British army and who will now be in imminent danger of torture and death.

I think this is the problem really.

Its getting to the airport and processing at the airport not capacity of flights leaving thats the biggest issue here. The crowds are the problem. How do you get all that through without it starting crowd problems in an already volitile situation. I'm not convinced at this point that this is something that could be facilitated if it was authorised in principle.

As it is, the authorities are no longer saying they will definitely get all Brits with Dual Nationality who want to go, out. They think they will only realistically manage those with singular citizenship.

If you start to allow a free for all then it becomes those who can afford it before the most vulnerable. And that would start additional problems and further complicate the situation. If you've read any of the on the ground reports of what the actual situation is like in the queues its horrific. The very young and very old dying in the heat. No shelter, little food or water, people being crushed, open sewage in the streets, kids getting separated from adults and posters being put up by parents desparately trying to find them. Its desparate chaos. Not a situation where you can just 'fast track' a bunch of people.

Unfortunately, I think if he wants to do his own thing, given the circumstances, he may have to wait until the airport is no longer being run by the western military to do that.

It might not be a choice of won't versus will but rather one of pure logistical impossibility in the chaotic situation which is desparately short on time.

I think the publicity he's getting somehow is taking away from the real story of human suffering of those who don't have a hotline to the British Press.

@powershowerforanhour

I think he has used the media, the cute fluffy animals and the ex military angle to the hilt to open up the charity money tap and crank the pressure to the max to get paperwork clearance for his staff and more power to him. OK in an ideal world he would have quietly joined an orderly queue with his staff and everyone would have been processed in order of risk- maybe interpreters and people working on military or police bases first, then the likes of prostitutes who had done business with Western servicemen, then women working in a dog shelter run by an ex British soldier.

But life isn't like that and if I was in that scramble to survive I hope I would be using every edge I could to save "my" people that had worked with me for 15 years. I think he has used every resource and pulled every lever he can to secure their future. To start with his videos focused on the staff but I think he realised that worldwide attention (and therefore money for the plane, and also possibly the Taliban allowing his people safe passage to the airport) depended on the animals. I think - certainly early on- he took a calculated risk to stay himself knowing that "British hero ex Royal Marine tortured and beheaded outside his dog sanctuary as horrified staff look on knowing they are next" is a better headline to threaten Boris with than "a bunch of Afghan animal shelter staff you've never heard of massacred in Kabul as ex boss cries impotently back home in Blighty ". He was also realistic enough to give away any of the reasonably fit horses and donkeys to local families and euthanase some of the older more frail animals.

Fair dues to him he has played a blinder with the resources and time available to him.

100% agreeing with this

Sorry but after seeing the desparate people clinging onto planes and others trying to get into the airport, I cannot bring myself to give a dam about dogs and cats.

@deliciouschilli

He's been told to get to the airport asap. He needs to get off social media and get his workers and their families to the airport and get in the queue (they are incredibly lucky to have visas). There's no special convoy coming to get them as they would have to drive over the people at the gates. They won't risk soldiers lives for dogs and cats. Pen needs to restrain his ego and save his staff while he still can.

This, with bells on.

And for the hard of thinking upthread: it's possible to love animals but also prioritise people over animals in a war situation. And it's also possible to think this particular person is wrong, AND think that the powers that be completely mismanaged the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

@Comedycook

Sorry but after seeing the desparate people clinging onto planes and others trying to get into the airport, I cannot bring myself to give a dam about dogs and cats.

Don’t know if you’ve realised this, but he’s taking at risk humans on the plane

Jesus. 🤦‍♀️

Anyway OP, enjoy the attention you’re getting. Pen, Nowzad staff and the animals are coming here whether you like it or not. Lots of lovely dogs and cats, bloody brilliant.

Are they actually? Because plane or not, getting 200 animals into the airport seems a hellishly impossibly undertaking. He can’t just drive them in.

He seems like a really brave and loyal guy with amazing morals and a lot of determination. Bizarre that you think that it would be better if he were someone who would just abandon his friends, colleagues, and rescued animals to God knows what fate hope I come across more people like him in my life and less people like you, who cynically criticise those desperately trying to do what's right in an awful situation.

Is his name really "Penny Farthing"?

Back on topic - are the animals vaccinated? Or will they have to quarantine on arrival and if so, where?
And what is he going to do with them when he gets them here?

They are only animals. Really not the priority, private plane or not.

Sorry but after seeing the desparate people clinging onto planes and others trying to get into the airport, I cannot bring myself to give a dam about dogs and cats.

That’s ok. There’s plenty of us that care about the people and animals. I can multi task. 😘

'I think the publicity he's getting somehow is taking away from the real story of human suffering of those who don't have a hotline to the British Press.'

This.

It's all about 'Pen's' dogs and cats. There are desperate people yet Farthing with his ex marine status and Twitter pals is dominating news updates. I bet the the government are probably quite relieved that the 'Operation Ark' Twitter warriors are destracting from the real actual suffering of people in Kabul.

Don’t know if you’ve realised this, but he’s taking at risk humans on the plane

I know

@EvilPea

He's basically saying "my animals are more important than some of the people in this queue" and that's fundamentally wrong

No he isn’t. He’s saying, here’s a plane for my animals. Look it can take 100 people from that queue.

Or he could not bother with that and leave those 100 people in the queue

Some people seem to want to ignore this.

@TheGenealogist very mean of you to call a man who served his country (most likely yours too) in such unsafe environment selfish.

It’s really easy for you to sit behind your computer and write your strong, unkind opinions. While this man had risked his life to bring out his staff - mostly young women and helpless animals who were used for the benefit of the western countries.
If you are so worried for the welfare of the other people desperate to leave, you can start your own initiative, rather than siting here rolling eyes. @Jarstastic you were also v unkind to roll eyes to his wife who must’ve gone through her own trauma and fear of being stuck in Afganistán. You both seem to think it’s ok for the women working at the shelter to live under taliban regime. Why don’t you both make a visit there to know how desperate everyone is there? This guy arranged for a plane to evacuate them and he was right to protest. Who are you to decide which life values more to sit in the safety of your home and roll eyes? Have you ever done any recurring or are you a keyboard warrior who likes to start mean threads? Why don’t start a thread about Dominic Raab not wanting to cut short his holidays in times of emergency?

Are they actually? Because plane or not, getting 200 animals into the airport seems a hellishly impossibly undertaking. He can’t just drive them in.

Watch this space. They’ll be here.

He accomplished the mission he set out to do, so I doubt he cares what anyone else thinks of him.

There may or may not be same degree of unfairness in his success but lets face it, in a situation like this wouldn't you push to protect your family and friends?

Be honest, there are times in life when we don't give a toss about fairness. If there is one heart available for translant and a list of patients who desperately need it including your child, you won't give a shit that the heart perhaps should have gone to a different patient if your child is the lucky one who gets it.

Lots of lovely dogs and cats, bloody brilliant.

Are you 5 years old? You're talking like a child

I commend his loyalty, to his staff and his animals. He didn't just bugger off and look after number one, like so many of us would.

So many border force experts and vets and internal relations experts on this thread.