US woman airlifts 14 stray dogs, 1 street cat out of Egypt

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian airport officials say an American woman has shipped 14 stray dogs and a street cat to New York via national carrier EgyptAir, the latest episode in a growing trend of airlifting pets out of the Arab world’s most populous nation.

They say the woman paid 60,000 Egyptian pounds ($3,400) for the operation to rescue the animals Sunday from the mean streets of Cairo, where down-and-out cats and dogs survive day-to-day on handouts and by picking through the capital’s notorious garbage piles. Dogs in particular face attacks and poisonings.

A photo circulated by airport staff showed dog cages stacked at the departure terminal. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief reporters, did not name the woman, who works at animal welfare associations.