Rabbits, guinea pigs, ducks, chickens, doves and ravens can be found in the small animal corner of the Society
Rabbits, guinea pigs, ducks, chickens, doves and ravens – all these can be found in the Society’s small-animal corner. As an organization that prides itself on its slogan that its gates are always open to all animals in trouble, we have built an animal corner suitable for their needs, in compliance with the Nature and Parks Authority’s guidelines. We want to emphasize that our small-animal corner is not a petting zoo! The visitors of the Society can observe the animals, but they cannot touch them.
These animals have come to us from small-animal corners that have been closed, from private citizens who found them in the street, and primarily from those who bought them in pet stores and then decided to abandon them when it became clear that taking care of them was a burden.
Mass abandonment of animals takes place primarily in the summer months, when kids on vacation buy chicks, guinea pigs and rabbits from pet stores, often without parental consent. Unfortunately, the bitter end is known from the start: without basic knowledge on how to raise these animals, many of them die after just a few days, of starvation, dehydration, maltreatment and unsuitable conditions. In other cases, the kids hide their new pet from their parents, and house them in air-raid shelters, in recycled waste areas, in places where cooking-gas canisters are held, or in other hiding places.
The representatives of the Society who come to rescue these animals are often shocked at the criminal negligence and irresponsibility of those involved in the matter. Therefore, we call on the pet shop owners to stop selling animals to minors. Likewise, we ask parents who do give their child permission to raise an animal of one kind or another to assume responsibility for its care, and if they cannot do so, to bring it to the right people who can.
Finding a permanent home for the animals in our small-animal corner is not easy; many small-animal corners in Israel are not taking in new animals, while others are unsuitable or don’t meet the special needs of the animals.
Representatives of organized small-animal corners who are interested in adopting animals from ours are invited to contact the offices of the Society. The animals will be given only to small-animal corners under veterinary supervision where guests are not permitted to touch the animals, and only following a visit from a SPCA representative.