Many things have changed since the last time I did a countdown to leave. Before, I was going on what I assumed would be a relatively short trip to Europe with 
After next month, a lot will change. Michel has discovered an opportunity for him in Costa Rica that even skeptical me finds attractive. I’ll talk more about that later. For right now, I will say that it involves a future for me with animal welfare in a manageable capacity and a breath of new life for my nonprofit. I’m in talks with a business owner in the Southern U.S. about a merger, one that will enable her to take over the 501c3 and broaden its scope. We’re not sure how that can be done at this time, but even if it means lapsing the current 501c3 and resurrecting its mission under a different banner, fine. I just know that by doing so, I will no longer be overwhelmed and the work will continue.
Michel also gets to realize his dream of owning land and establishing a permaculture in Central America. Post about that will come after everything is finalized and we have concrete details to share. Right now the biggest priority is getting these sixteen animals out of Morocco and into the safety of foster care in the States until we can relocate them to our rescue sanctuary in Costa Rica. Will the Moroccan dogs and cats we’re evacuating be available for adoption? They have been available all along. But at some point we’ll have to decide what’s in their best interest and move on. One thing is certain: their futures are secure. They will never have to be hungry, afraid, or abandoned again.
I’ll be writing some fun posts about our adventures in Azemmour once we’re out of the country. For now, the best thing I can do is journal Michel’s and my day by day adventure with some of the most complicated animal transport logistics I’ve ever encountered.
Because of the pandemic, most airlines have embargoed checked pets and will no longer accept them as cargo. This is due to downsizing the aircraft they put on certain routes and operating smaller planes that don’t have pressurized cargo bays. Then there are travel restrictions for humans in place everywhere. I can fly into Paris Charles de Gaul airport with a negative PCR test, but I can’t leave the international staging area. I can fly into the U.S. with a negative PCR test but I have to quarantine. Michel can’t fly into the U.S. at all, even to transit through.
After much diligence and many hours of effort, I found appropriate flights and built an itinerary for all of us that involves four international jurisdictions, three commercial airlines, Pilots n Paws, and an army of volunteers on the ground in the U.S. On February 5, five cats will board Royal Air Maroc as cargo and fly to JFK in New York, to be received by a volunteer who will foster them, give them additional vetting, and transport them to Molly’s Place in Pennsylvania for adoption. (Hint: one of them might take up residence at her house permanently. LOL) Also on February 5, five cats will board a separate Royal Air Maroc plane and fly into Dulles, where they will also be met by a volunteer and go into foster care. Those five cats will eventually travel to Costa Rica.
On February 12, four dogs will board a Royal Air Maroc plane as ticket addons and fly with me and one of my service dogs to Dulles in the U.S. They will go immediately into foster care, and our volunteer there will, at some point, take them for updated international health certificates, after which Pilots n Paws will transfer them at least as far south as Atlanta to another volunteer, who will drive them to Miami. In Miami, they’ll fly DHL to San Jose in Costa Rica, clear customs thanks to a great broker who’s been working with us, and rejoin me in a sanctuary environment until their permanent outcomes can be decided.
On Feb 14, I will fly back to Morocco via RAM and rejoin Michel, along with my other service dog. We’ll be in the country long enough to get PCR test results for further travel, then leave on Feb 18 bound for Costa Rica, courtesy of Air France. Summary of cost involved in moving sixteen animals from Morocco to Costa Rica in the middle of a pandemic? Almost seven thousand U.S. dollars. And that is not all-inclusive.
Yesterday Michel and I went to El Jadida and rented a car for our last two weeks in Morocco. We had ordered twelve travel pet travel kennels from a local pet store but they had not arrived yet, so we called it a day and had what will probably be our last bowl of harira from the best harira vendor in town. Harira is a type of traditional Moroccan soup that, when done right, is one of the best soups on the planet. We said farewell to the shop owner, one of the bittersweet moments we will remember for a long time to come.
