AN ANIMAL welfare group has launched a mission to rescue pets left behind by families fleeing farms in the unrest in neighbouring Zimbabwe. The Wet Nose Animal Rescue Centre in Pretoria has permits to bring 100 cats and dogs from Zimbabwe, centre founder Tracey Forte said. “We will bring the animals here and will house them free of charge until the owners find a place for them to live,” she said. The rescue operation will be carried out over the next two weeks, she said. Unrest linked to the invasion since February of about 1200 white-owned farms in Zimbabwe by black veterans of the liberation war and government supporters has forced many families to abandon their properties with some vowing to leave the country.