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Ananova
                                      
                    Kabul zoo mercy mission due to start
                                      
    Rescue teams are to leave for Kabul in a mission to save the animal
                    victims of the Afghanistan conflict.
                                      
     Marjon, a one-eyed lion, and a bear, who were both attacked by the
                  Taliban in Kabul zoo, will receive help.
                                      
   Teams from the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) are
                    due to leave for the city tomorrow.
                                      
   They are due to arrive in Kabul on Thursday after a stop in Islamabad.
                                      
    The plight of Marjon and the other animals that had been ill-treated
          by the Taliban won the sympathy of Labour MP Tony Banks.
                                      
    He tabled a Commons motion calling for cash and veterinary help for
   the wounded creatures. The public has also donated thousands of pounds
                               to help them.
                                      
   An initial assessment team from WSPA includes Gerard Huertas and John
     Walsh, two of the society's most experienced staff in dealing with
                       animals caught up in disaster.
                                      
    The zoo animals are a priority but the team will be carrying out an
     assessment of the wider problems facing creatures in Afghanistan.
                                      
   The WSPA team will be equipped to handle animal first aid, which could
    include treating wounds of starving and dehydrated animals. A second
     WSPA team is due to follow the assessment team to Kabul next week.
                                      
   This will include a vet with extensive experience of treating animals
      in the aftermath of disasters. Depending on the magnitude of the
          problem there may be further visits by subsequent teams.
                                      
                Story filed: 13:31 Tuesday 8th January 2002