It was an unbelievable journey for a cat. Kunkush, a male white beauty, a Turkish Van breed, left the war-battled of Northern Iraq, crossed Turkey, sailed with a boat to the Greek island of Lesvos, flew to Berlin and stayed in a foster home, hoping to find again his family. Finally, after four months away from his beloved people, Kunkush flew to Norway and reunited with his owner – a woman and her five children.
An epic journey, you can read below:
Found on Lesvos – but family was gone…
Reunited in Norway – lots of tears of joy…
The reunification was made possible due to animal loving volunteers and the power of social media, in this case the Facebook.
found on Lesvos island
His journey began when the mother and five children, fled Iraq last year, bringing along their beloved family cat.
They eventually made their way to the Mediterranean and crossed to the Greek island of Lesbos aboard a crowded boat in an attempt to build a new life in Europe.
Kunkush was right there with them, carried in a small basket. But soon after they landed on the shore, the frightened cat hopped out of the basket and ran away.
The family and local volunteers looked for several hours, but had no luck finding him. Eventually, the family had to move on to a registration camp without him, and then like thousands of others, they continued on.
But the cat returned a week later, and was found by volunteer workers who remembered that the family had lost him. They named him Dias, the modern Greek name for the god Zeus, and took him in.
That was end of November 2014.
Kunkush in young age in Mosul, Iraq -from family’s photo archives.
The volunteers of Lesvos started a campaign to locate the cat’s owner. They plastered reception centers across Europe with posters of the cat, spread the information through a network of aid workers and providing contact details so the family could reach them.
A group “Reunite Dias” was opened on Facebook.
Two volunteers fostered Dias or Kunkush, later they found a foster home for him in Berlin for one year.
The family in Norway connects with Kunkush in Berlin via Skype
February 14th turned for a true Valentine’s Day for the cat. Kunkush’s family was found. In a town in Norway. Thanks to the 4,000 animal and cat lovers of the group and the thousands of Shares of the story.
Last Thursday, February 18th, Kunkush flew to Noway and reunited with his beloved people.
Heartwarming video by The Guardian: the Adventure and the Happy End
embedded by Embedded Video
YouTube Direkt
Te team behind the “Reunite Dias” Facebook page paid for his care, pet passport and flights out of pocket, and are raising funds on a Go Fund Me page to cover the costs.
Help these wonderful volunteers with a donation! They ROCK!
sources & mor epictures & videos: zoosos.gr, mashable.com, & others
PS Losing a pet: It was always my nightmare when I had to travel around with one of my cats. Solution found and my nerves calmed down when I put an piece of wire as extra security on the cat carrier.
