Gaza Strip Animal Rescue

As the world watched settlers leaving the West Bank and Gaza in the evacuation from the area, little has been said about the plight of their animals and pets. So what has been happening to them?

Some settlers were moving to places where they cannot have animals, while some animals were in fact strays the settlers were feeding.

Israel’s Veterinary Services were given responsibility for dealing with the animals left behind in the territories. They organised a contingent of animal organisations and got permission from the Army to rescue animals left behind by the settlers. Organisations which took part in the rescue effort included CHAI/Hakoi Choi and the SPCAs in Tel Aviv, Beersheva and Jerusalem.

Rescued animals are being taken to shelters, with Hakoi Chai working to find permanent homes for them. The Israeli agriculture ministry has offered to re-unite pets wearing an ID tag with their owners.

Tel Aviv based Hakoi Chai has sent volunteers and vets into the empty Gaza settlements ahead of an army-imposed deadline for bulldozers to level the buildings. It has sent medical and neutering vans into Gaza.

Already, 100 animals have been rescued: dogs, cats, chickens, goats, geese, parakeets, ducks, turtles and an iguana were among those animals abandoned by the settlers under the disengagement plan.

For more information about the rescue efforts, please visit www.chai-online.org