Iran: Shelter Fire Killed 200 cats and its Founder

The founder of cats’ shelter Miss. Sholeh Raoofi along with 200 cats were stuck in fire occurred at 6:00 A.M on 29 Aug 2015, firefighters said. Ali-Mirza added that Miss. Raoofi, 60, died as a result of smothering through smoke inhalation. The shelter was built to support and holding the animal especially cats for special treatment by animal rights activists. Fire suppression lasted up to three hours; officials have not revealed the reason for the event. “To be fair some animal activists have suspected of the event, and they claimed that the tragedy does not seem as a natural disaster.” The chief of the public relations of the Eshtehard municipality Ramona Dehghan said to the agencies that most of the cats were treated at the shelter burned or died due to suffocation. Miss. Raoofi had fuonded the shelter known as “Janan Shelter” (loved ones shelter) ten years ago at her own expense in Eshtehard County, Alborz Province (At the 2006 census, its population was 16,988, in 4,813 families), then, she moved to live in the shelter. At least 350 cats and 12 dogs have been in the shelter, by now, approximately 100 cats and dogs are remained there, as animal activists declared. Previously, She was frequently threatened by anonymous because some groups are not in mutual interests with animal rights activists, the local activists said. The event occurred just a few days after the attack to a shelter holding dogs in Varamin County. The aggressives who had armed with cutlass wounded the shelter caretaker Miss. Haleh Broumand whereupon she was taken to be hospitalized due to severe wounds. The shelter is located just 166 K.M from the Janan Shelter in Eshethard County. However, municipal contractors are hired to purge the cities from “street animals” and exterminate animals with the help of brutal procedures such as toxic injection or gunshot. Iran’s authorities have believed that carnivorous animals and some pets are untouchable under Islamic Sharia laws, Killing cats and dogs is allowed by shariah law claim the mullahs. A small farm of pigs husbandry cared by an Armenian minority man set on fire by Islamic extremist groups in the sidelines of Abadan city In the midst of Islamic Revolution in 1979, according to a residential who were witness in that moment. The passionate revolutionary people were obedient by extremist Mullahs under Sharia Rules, he added

By: Kaveh Taheri