Christian humanitarian aid organization Samaritan’s Purse received an award from animal rights organization People for Ethical Treatment of Animals after the group saved a starving tiger and lion who were abandoned after a typhoon.
According to the Christian Post, the North Carolina-based aid organization was awarded a Compassionate Action Award this week from PETA. The group was given the award after they volunteered to fly two starving and abandoned zoo animals from the Pacific island of Saipan, which was devastated by a Typhoon in November, to The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Weld County, Colorado.
Samaritan’s Purse had been flying in tons of supplies to the devastated Island, and on their third trip to the island, since it was struck by Typhoon Yutu in November, the Federal Emergency Management Agency reached out to Samaritan’s Purse for help.
Through a collaborative effort with FEMA, Tigers in America and The Wild Animal Sanctuary, Samaritan’s Purse was able to fly Tasha and Lambert from the U.S. commonwealth in the North Mariana Islands to a sanctuary in Colorado where they will each have habitats of between 15 and 25 acres, a video detailing the rescue recalled.
In the video, Casey Craig of The Wild Life Sanctuary expressed his gratitude for Samaritan’s Purse. He said, “I know there is not a lot of flights going in and out of Saipan right now. We found out that Samaritan’s Purse was taking relief supplies over there and coming back empty. It was an extremely generous offer to be able to take the crates over and be able to fly Tasha and Lambert back to the sanctuary.”
In the short time that the big cats have had to recover, Craig says he can already see a difference in the animals.
Craig said in the video, “Lambert is a pretty goofy guy. He likes playing around. Tasha, it almost seemed like she was shutting down at the zoo. Now, she is letting us pet her. She is doing great.” He added, “Just trying to get some nutrition and some weight put back on them is going to be a huge thing. They have been solitary for the past 15 years. The emotional state will be tremendously improved as well as their physical health.”
According to the Christian Post, PETA Vice President Colleen O’Brien said that Samaritan's Purse truly acted like a “good Samaritan” in this situation and gave Tasha and Lambert a chance to start over.
O’Brien said in a statement, “PETA hopes this story will remind everyone that when animals are in trouble, it’s up to each of us to be a good Samaritan.”
Photo courtesy: Pixabay
Video courtesy: Samaritan's Purse
