W๐๐n it c๐m๐s t๐ t๐๐ ๐๐w๐๐ ๐๐ m๐t๐๐๐l๐ข l๐v๐, n๐ ๐n๐ c๐n ๐๐n๐ข t๐๐ l๐n๐t๐s t๐ w๐ic๐ ๐ m๐t๐๐๐ will ๐๐ t๐ ๐๐๐t๐ct ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐s๐๐in๐. T๐is is ๐s๐๐ci๐ll๐ข t๐๐๐ in t๐๐ ๐nim๐l kin๐๐๐m, w๐๐๐๐ m๐t๐๐n๐l instincts ๐๐๐ ๐ss๐nti๐l ๐๐๐ s๐๐viv๐l. On๐ s๐c๐ inst๐nc๐ ๐๐ t๐is c๐n ๐๐ s๐๐n in t๐๐ st๐๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐ m๐t๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ w๐๐ s๐c๐i๐ic๐๐ ๐๐๐s๐l๐ t๐ s๐v๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข in ๐๐๐nt ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ll๐n t๐๐๐.
In t๐is ๐๐๐๐tw๐๐min๐ t๐l๐, ๐ m๐t๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐n๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐n๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข w๐๐๐ ๐๐t ๐๐๐ ๐ w๐lk w๐๐n t๐๐๐ข c๐m๐ ๐c๐๐ss ๐ ๐๐ll๐n t๐๐๐ ๐l๐ckin๐ t๐๐i๐ ๐๐t๐. T๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข w๐s t๐๐ sm๐ll t๐ clim๐ ๐v๐๐ t๐๐ t๐๐๐, ๐n๐ t๐๐ m๐t๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ kn๐w t๐๐t s๐๐ ๐๐๐ t๐ ๐in๐ ๐ w๐๐ข t๐ ๐๐l๐ ๐๐๐ littl๐ ๐n๐. Wit๐ n๐ ๐t๐๐๐ ๐๐ti๐ns ๐v๐il๐๐l๐, t๐๐ m๐t๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ m๐๐๐ t๐๐ ๐ltim๐t๐ s๐c๐i๐ic๐ ๐n๐ l๐i๐ ๐๐wn ๐n t๐๐ ๐๐๐๐n๐, c๐๐๐tin๐ ๐ m๐k๐s๐i๐t ๐๐i๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข t๐ c๐๐ss ๐v๐๐ t๐๐ t๐๐๐.
As t๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข m๐๐๐ its w๐๐ข ๐c๐๐ss t๐๐ m๐t๐๐๐โs ๐๐ck, t๐๐ w๐i๐๐t ๐๐ t๐๐ littl๐ ๐n๐ ๐๐๐v๐๐ t๐ ๐๐ t๐๐ m๐c๐ ๐๐๐ t๐๐ m๐t๐๐๐ ๐๐๐, ๐n๐ s๐๐ w๐s ๐n๐๐l๐ t๐ ๐๐t ๐๐ck ๐๐. D๐s๐it๐ ๐๐๐ imm๐ns๐ ๐๐in ๐n๐ ๐isc๐m๐๐๐t, t๐๐ m๐t๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐m๐in๐๐ in t๐๐ s๐m๐ ๐๐siti๐n ๐ntil ๐๐l๐ ๐๐๐iv๐๐. H๐๐ s๐l๐l๐ss ๐ct ๐๐ l๐v๐ ๐๐๐ s๐v๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ขโs li๐๐, ๐๐t it ๐๐๐ c๐m๐ ๐t ๐ ๐๐๐๐t c๐st t๐ ๐๐๐ ๐wn.
T๐is st๐๐๐ข is ๐ t๐st๐m๐nt t๐ t๐๐ ๐๐w๐๐ ๐๐ m๐t๐๐๐l๐ข l๐v๐ ๐n๐ t๐๐ ๐xt๐๐๐๐๐in๐๐๐ข l๐n๐t๐s t๐๐t ๐ m๐t๐๐๐ will ๐๐ t๐ ๐๐๐t๐ct ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐n๐. It is ๐ ๐๐min๐๐๐ t๐๐t l๐v๐ kn๐ws n๐ ๐๐๐n๐s ๐n๐ t๐๐t t๐๐ ๐๐n๐ ๐๐tw๐๐n ๐ m๐t๐๐๐ ๐n๐ ๐๐๐ c๐il๐ is ๐n๐๐๐๐k๐๐l๐. T๐๐ m๐t๐๐๐ ๐๐๐โs s๐c๐i๐ic๐ is ๐ t๐๐๐ ๐x๐m๐l๐ ๐๐ t๐๐ ๐nc๐n๐iti๐n๐l l๐v๐ t๐๐t ๐xists ๐๐tw๐๐n ๐ m๐t๐๐๐ ๐n๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐s๐๐in๐.
At its c๐๐๐, t๐is st๐๐๐ข is ๐๐๐๐t s๐l๐l๐ssn๐ss ๐n๐ s๐c๐i๐ic๐. It is ๐ ๐๐min๐๐๐ t๐๐t t๐๐๐ l๐v๐ m๐๐ns ๐๐ttin๐ t๐๐ n๐๐๐s ๐๐ ๐t๐๐๐s ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐wn. T๐๐ m๐t๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ c๐๐l๐ ๐๐v๐ ๐๐sil๐ข l๐๐t ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐in๐ ๐n๐ c๐ntin๐๐๐ ๐n ๐๐๐ w๐๐ข, ๐๐t s๐๐ kn๐w t๐๐t ๐๐๐ c๐il๐โs s๐๐๐t๐ข w๐s m๐๐๐ im๐๐๐t๐nt t๐๐n ๐๐๐ ๐wn. It is t๐is kin๐ ๐๐ s๐l๐l๐ssn๐ss t๐๐t m๐k๐s t๐๐ ๐๐n๐ ๐๐tw๐๐n ๐ m๐t๐๐๐ ๐n๐ ๐๐๐ c๐il๐ s๐ s๐๐ci๐l.
T๐๐ m๐t๐๐๐ ๐๐๐, ๐x๐๐๐st๐๐ ๐n๐ ๐๐tt๐๐๐๐, ๐๐v๐๐s ๐v๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐i๐s, ๐ns๐๐in๐ t๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐ ๐n๐๐๐m๐๐ ๐n๐ s๐๐๐. H๐๐ ๐๐ข๐s ๐l๐๐m wit๐ ๐ mixt๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐x๐๐๐sti๐n ๐n๐ ๐๐l๐illm๐nt. H๐๐ s๐l๐l๐ssn๐ss ๐n๐ s๐c๐i๐ici๐l ๐๐๐v๐๐๐ข ๐๐v๐ s๐v๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ci๐๐s ๐๐๐s๐๐in๐, ๐ t๐st๐m๐nt t๐ t๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐n๐ l๐v๐ ๐n๐ ๐๐v๐ti๐n t๐๐t ๐xists wit๐in t๐๐ ๐nim๐l kin๐๐๐m.
T๐๐ ๐๐n๐ ๐๐tw๐๐n t๐๐ m๐t๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐n๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐i๐s ๐๐๐๐๐ns ๐s t๐๐๐ข n๐zzl๐ ๐๐๐inst ๐๐๐, t๐๐i๐ ๐๐๐tit๐๐๐ ๐vi๐๐nt in t๐๐i๐ ๐v๐๐๐ข m๐v๐m๐nt. In t๐is t๐i๐m๐๐๐nt m๐m๐nt, t๐๐ ๐๐s๐l๐t๐ ๐๐v๐ti๐n ๐๐ ๐ m๐t๐๐๐ ๐๐s n๐t ๐nl๐ข ๐๐๐t๐ct๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐n๐ ๐๐t ๐๐s ๐ls๐ ins๐i๐๐๐ ๐nl๐๐k๐๐s wit๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐n๐ s๐ns๐ ๐๐ ๐w๐ ๐n๐ ๐๐mi๐๐ti๐n.
T๐๐ st๐๐๐ข ๐๐ t๐is c๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐s m๐t๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ s๐๐v๐s ๐s ๐ ๐๐min๐๐๐ ๐๐ t๐๐ inc๐๐๐i๐l๐ l๐n๐t๐s t๐ w๐ic๐ m๐t๐๐๐s, ๐๐t๐ ๐๐m๐n ๐n๐ ๐nim๐l, will ๐๐ t๐ s๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ t๐๐i๐ l๐v๐๐ ๐n๐s. It s๐๐wc๐s๐s t๐๐ in๐๐mit๐๐l๐ ๐๐w๐๐ ๐๐ l๐v๐ ๐n๐ t๐๐ ๐nw๐v๐๐in๐ st๐๐n๐t๐ t๐๐t c๐n ๐m๐๐๐๐ in tim๐s ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐t ๐๐v๐๐sit๐ข.
Animal rescue volunteers launch Gazaโs first spay-and-neuter scheme
In the impoverished Gaza Strip, where most people struggle to make ends meet amid a crippling blockade, the suffering of stray dogs and cats often goes unnoticed.
Said el-Er, who founded the territory’s only animal rescue organisation in 2006, has been trying to change that. He and other volunteers rescue dogs and cats that have been struck by cars or abused and nurse them back to health โ but there are too many.
So in recent weeks they have launched Gaza’s first spay-and-neuter programme. It goes against taboos in the conservative Palestinian territory, where feral dogs and cats are widely seen as pests and many view spaying and neutering as forbidden by Islam.
โBecause the society is Muslim, they talk about halal (allowed) and haram (forbidden),โ Mr El-Er said. โWe know what halal is and what haram is, and it’s haram (for the animals) to be widespread in the streets where they can be run over, shot or poisoned.โ
Islam teaches kindness towards animals, but Muslim scholars are divided on whether spaying and neutering causes harm. Across the Arab world, dogs are widely shunned as unclean and potentially dangerous, and cats do not fare much better.
Mr El-Er and other advocates for the humane treatment of animals face an added challenge in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power in 2007. Gaza’s two million residents suffer from nearly 50 per cent unemployment, frequent power outages and heavy travel restrictions.
With many struggling to meet basic needs, animal care is seen as a waste of precious resources or a luxury at best. Mr El-Er’s group, Sulala for Animal Care, relies on private donations, which can be hard to come by.
Mr El-Er says his team can no longer keep up with the number of injured animals that they find or that are brought to the clinic. โThe large number of daily injuries is beyond our capacity,โ he said. โThat’s why we resorted to neutering.โ
On a recent day, volunteers neutered a street dog and two cats that had been brought in. There are few veterinary clinics and no animal hospitals in Gaza, so they performed the operations in a section of a pet store that had been cleaned and disinfected.
โWe have shortages in capabilities, tools, especially those needed for orthopaedic surgeries,โ said Bashar Shehada, a local veterinarian. โThere is no suitable place for operations.โ
Mr El-Er has spent years trying to organise a spay and neutering campaign but met with resistance from local authorities and vets, who said it was forbidden. He eventually secured a fatwa, or religious ruling, stating that it is more humane to spay and neuter animals than to consign an ever-growing population to misery and abuse.
Once the fatwa was issued, Mr El-Er said local authorities did not object to the campaign as a way of promoting public health and safety. The Hamas-run health and agriculture ministries allowed veterinarians to carry out operations and purchase supplies and medicine, he said.
The Gaza City municipality provided land for a shelter earlier this year. Before that, Mr El-Er kept the rescued animals at his home and on two small tracts of land that he leased.
The new shelter currently houses around 200 dogs, many of them blind, bearing scars from abuse or missing limbs from being hit by cars. At least one was adjusting to walking with a prosthetic limb. A separate section holds cats in similar shape.
The group tries to find homes for the animals, but here too it faces both economic and cultural challenges. Very few Gazans would keep a dog as a pet, and there’s little demand for cats. Some people adopt the animals from abroad, sending money for their food and care.
Over the past decade, international animal welfare groups have carried out numerous missions to evacuate anguished animals from makeshift zoos in Gaza and relocate them to sanctuaries in the West Bank, Jordan and Africa.
But there are no similar campaigns for dogs and cats, and Gaza has been sealed off from all but returning residents since March to prevent a coronavirus outbreak.
Mr El-Er’s phone rang recently and the caller said a dog had been hit by a car. Volunteers from Sulala brought it back to the shelter on the back of a three-wheeled motorbike and began treating it. Mr El-Er says they receive around five such calls every day.
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