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Moria Camp, Lesbos - 26/09/2020
Abdul Ali Akhlaghi (age 55) from Ghazni, Afghanistan is nurturing some of the cats and kittens in Camp Moria. After the fire, most asylum seekers flee to nearby streets, but a small group of migrants stays behind. Living in the ashes of the camp, they start taking care of the cats and kittens that were also left homeless by the fire.
Moria Camp, Lesbos - 13/09/2020
A lone cat shoots away in the ruins of the camp. Many of the animals are injured and have almost no access to food. They are completely dependent on the migrants who feed and take care of them.
Moria Camp, Lesbos - 13/09/2020
A wounded kitten tries to find its way through the ruins of the camp. Its soft cries on the morning after the fire catches the attention of Mr. Akhlaghi, who starts taking care of the animal.
Moria Camp, Lesbos - 13/09/2020
Since that day, Akhlaghi feeds the homeless cats and kittens every morning and before he goes to bed at night. Why? Akhlaghi says: “We are humans, and they are animals, but we are the same. They need the same things we need; the only difference is that we can talk.”
Moria Camp, Lesbos - 14/09/2020
Another group of young men joins in taking care of the animals. Since the fire, they have been sleeping in the only tent left standing. The fire has destroyed everything else.
Moria Camp, Lesbos - 14/09/2020
Mahammed Berro (age 24) from Latika, Syria, is feeding the blinded kitten in the morning. The group named it ‘Isos’, Greek for ‘maybe’. Mahammed uses one of his blankets to make a small bed for the kitten behind a fence, warm and safe from the dangers of the night. Isos suffered severe burns over its body and face and was blinded by the fire. The men whistle to guide the kitten to its food.
Mavrovouni Camp, Lesbos - 18/09/2020
Nine days after the fire, Greek authorities begin forcing all the migrants into a new camp. Many of them are afraid to enter the camp. Animals are not allowed, so the cats must be left behind.
Loutropoli Thermis, Lesbos - 28/09/2020
Worried about the well-being of the cats, the group approaches some local people through Facebook and asks them to help take care of the animals. Larisa Burak and her husband are two of the people who come forward to help. They already have a number of pets, mainly cats and dogs, living together in harmony.
Loutropoli Thermis, Lesbos - 28/09/2020
Larisa Burak is taking care of two kittens that suffered minor injuries in the Moria fire. Another severely injured cat is also recovering in her care.
Moria Camp, Lesbos - 13/09/2021
Kitten Isos is taken in by another local woman: Mrs. Melpo. She gets in touch with a veterinarian, but the kitten’s injuries are too severe. It passes away in her care. Akhlagi takes comfort in the fact that Isos was nurtured and loved in its final weeks.
Mavrovouni Camp, Lesbos - 18/09/2020
Mr. Akhlaghi on the side of the road, waiting to enter the new camp for the first time. Weeks after the fire, Mr. Akhlaghi still makes the 30-minute journey by foot to Moria several times a week to feed the homeless cats that were left behind.