Help bring Simba home

I’ve set up a GoFundMe in hope that our animal loving friends will help us on a mission to help get Simba to the UK to live her ‘happy ever after’.

Simba’s Story

When we went to Morocco at the end of May. The holiday ended up a puppy welfare mission and not quite the relaxing holiday planned...

I walked 10 miles round trip daily to feed loads of strays and stumbled across some puppies in a hedge outside a hotel (Nige joined me on the last day...he then understood why I'm doing what I'm doing and must see it through!).

The beach we were on had been carrying out mass inhumane culling/poisoning of dogs/cats and the more I read (made me sick) the more these puppies played on my mind.

Very long story short.

I befriended several other animal loving tourists (of different nationalities), and we soon had a little WhatsApp group. With the help of google translate we were regularly checking up at different intervals. The number of the puppies were dwindling from when we first arrived. One of the puppies of the litter was poisoned. It was heartbreaking, a slow death and our little group rallied around to do all they could. It left us fearing for the safety of those remaining and couldn't let that be their fate.

With the help of a local beach guy ‘Boubaker’ the two were taken to the safety of his family home in the mountains. It was a fantastic stop gap, they had their parvovirus vaccines, regular food and we had daily updates which was comforting to see. Our little WhatsApp group helped cover the costs whilst in his care. We then were in a dilemma as we knew it was a temporary measure, as needed professional help long term.

Alina (a nurse from Chester) managed to get Sunshine Animal Refuge Agadir [S.A.R.A] to take them on if she/us covered the fees and they were to be adopted!!!!!!!.... a taxi was sent to collect them. A strange day, it was sad they were leaving the safe home to the unknown, whether it was the right thing to do, but also a leap forward. We named the siblings Simba and Mabrouk!

To go to the refuge Alina and I agreed to commit to them and had to have them microchipped, so that they were owned. We are both covering their monthly food/board, vets/vaccines, serology test etc.

Not being in the EU, it’s been a minefield to navigate. They successfully passed their serology tests and were able to travel on the 30 November! One slight thing wrong on paperwork etc, could start a whole 3-month testing process again. As Simba’s guardian, I must travel to Morocco to bring her home with me. Travelling via Le Shuttle, then flying to Paris return and the same in reverse on her pet passport. Sadly we were all booked to go and just days before my husband was rushed in to intensive care with bacterial meningitis and had to cancel. In January Michelle and I made the mamouth journey to Morocoo for just 2 days. To see all the dogs at SARA was heartbreaking, but instantly Simba recognised me. Visiting the Embassey, and all the paperwork was stressful, let alone the journey back. We were so scared that anything wrong with it all, could lead to her being destroyed. Three country border controls and over 24hours driving through the night, we made it back and bonded so much along the way.

Whilst we know there's thousands of animals in the UK that need rescuing... we couldn't leave her and her brother to their inhumane fate. Our country would never allow culling so inhumanely. We have since found out that her mum was also killed. The day we were heading back, The Daily Mail did a big piece online about the area in which I rescued Simba. 3million animals in Morocco to be destroyed ahead of the 2030 World Cup - FIFA sure has a lot of answer for.

Yes, Simba's rescue was a drop in the ocean and can't rescue them all, but thank you from the bottom of my heart to all those that made donations to help save her. Simba settled in instantly in to our home and the cats didn't bat an eyelid. She is a pampered pooch, gets handfed chicken, loves other dogs (especially spaniels), long walks, zoomies and cuddling up with us on a blanket.

Also a big thank you to SARA for taking her on, and looking after her until her resuce. The animal refuge is working with the Agadir Commune to work together in the community to trap-neuter, vaccine and return programme to help manage the street dog population in a humane and effective manner, the proven strategy helps control numbers and fosters a more harmonious co-existence between residents and animals. It will be a long road for this to get established and funding etc but hope that in the future compassionate treatment of animals is on the horizon.