Update: Koky's Facebook post about this see: (English) https://vermeir.org/flight985 Facebook post from Nada Saad about this see: (English) https://vermeir.org/flight985update
Update 01/10/2024 10:55 PM: Aubrey has been found. She is with Koky. – There is now active cooperation from the airport to find the 2 other cats. Source; (private) SHE Facebook group; (English) https://vermeir.org/flight985update2
Update 02/10/2023 11:00 PM: Not really news but a good 'state of affairs'; (English, private SHE group) https://vermeir.org/flight985update3
Update 09/10/2023: One of the two missing cats has been found in good health! (English) https://vermeir.org/flight985update4
Every day, a whole group of people work hard to provide a safe place for the cats staying in the Safe Haven Egypt shelter. And they look for a suitable adoptive family.
Koky, the manager, always lets the online SHE community know what is going on.
A few days ago she posted a message that support was still needed to enable the transport of 12 SHE cats to the United States of America. – The generous community raised the resources. – Everyone was happy and enthusiastic about the impending departure.
A little later came a photo of the transport boxes; our 12 SHE cats were now effectively leaving!
We welcome then at the haven with smile love and care and when they leave us we say good bye and we wish them all the happiness
Kareema Ibrahim (Koky, manager & founder of SHE
On Friday, September 29, our cats left the Haven on their adventure. To Cairo airport and then New York, USA!
Unfortunately, it turned out to be a nightmare.
The departure was just like usual. The cats were properly checked in for their flight
Flight 985, Cairo to New York (JFK).
Our 12 cats traveled together with the cats from another cat shelter.
Seven(!) hours after the plane – as far as known – had left safely with the cats, the message came that 'something' had gone wrong.
Very wrong.
Somehow the transport boxes fell. All boxes were damaged.
Three SHE cats escaped at the airport. And also two cats from the other cat shelter. – So five cats loose at an airport.
Our blind boy Angus was finally found. He drank some water and then died.
Good news is that SHE cat Shadia has been found and is now safe and sound at Koky's home.
There is no news yet from Aubrey. He is still missing.
Update 01/10/2024 10:55 PM: Aubrey has been found. She is with Koky.
The two cats from the other shelter are also still missing. Update 09/10/2023: One of the two has been found (and is fine), one non-SHE cat still remains missing.
So this all happened before the plane took off. The surviving cats were placed on the plane in their damaged boxes. Some transport boxes patched with adhesive tape.
When the local SHE volunteer came to pick up the cats at the airport in the USA, they were outside in the pouring rain. Which was probably lucky.
The doors of two transport boxes were missing. The cats were still in there. Apparently too scared to run away.
Safe Haven Egypt was only informed 7 hours after the incident. It was not possible to clarify what exactly happened.
Those transport boxes are very sturdy. They don't just break from a simple fall. After insistence, there was nothing more than a weak apology and 'that these things happen'.
Unable to obtain information or cooperation from the airport, the airline Egypt Air or the shipping agent.
We didn't get Angus' body back. Airport employees buried him at the airport. This way we cannot investigate what exactly he died from.
The SHE community is sad and in shock. This – or anything even remotely similar – has never happened before.
We are angry too.
How could such a fragile cargo be handled so negligently? – Why did it take 7 hours to let us know??!!
This also means that Koky and anyone she could round up could not search for the missing cats. Because they didn't know anything.
This is therefore a call to everyone who is well disposed towards Safe Haven Egypt and actually all cat shelter initiatives to put pressure on EgyptAir to help find the 3 missing cats.
And to investigate this thoroughly so that this cannot happen again.
Help bring this to attention through your available social media channels!
Update Sunday October 1: This Facebook post from Nada Saad (ENG) gives a more factual account of the situation, https://vermeir.org/flight985update
Note: this text is a free interpretation of the mind from this Facebook post by Kareema Ibraheem about this tragedy. She is known by the SHE community as 'Koky' and is the founder and beating heart of Safe Haven Egypt.
Short link to this post is: https://vermeir.org/kattenramp
Traveling between Cairo and Amsterdam? - Or do you know someone who will?We could use your help to bring a cat as luggage. To be a flight parent for Safe Haven Egypt. (click here). - Contact
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