Last week a call came in to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Israel regarding a white horse that had been abandoned, and had been wandering around for two weeks in the area of Moshav Beit Arif, in the agricultural fields, on the roads and around the residential area of the Moshav. The caller, a resident of the Moshav, had managed to catch the horse and upon our request, he gave the horse shelter in his own yard for the night.
We then contacted the authorized district veterinarian, Dr. Shlomo Albagli, who claimed that he had no suitable place to transfer the horse and asked us to bring him to our stable and take care of him in the Society. Dr. Tzvia Mildenberg of the Ministry of Agriculture, who, in her position, is responsible for the welfare of horses according to the Law for the Protection of Animals, refused to bear the costs of transferring the horse for budgetary reasons.
The following morning, the Society’s groom, set off to collect the abandoned horse. The horse, who was named Arif, was transported to the Society’s stables where veterinary examination determined that he was underweight, needed hoof trimming and anti-worm treatment and was suffering from wounds in his hind legs, apparently from being tied up in an unfit manner.
The 12 year-old Arif will undergo rehabilitation in the Society’s Horses’ Home and then, once he regains his strength, we will do our utmost to find him a suitable home.
The SPCA calls on the public to continue to notify us of any animals found in distress.