Last Friday afternoon, a police officer called the SPCA. During his patrol in South Tel Aviv he noticed an injured donkey roaming around, limping, apparently after being involved in an accident. The policeman followed the young donkey that went into a private yard and discovered that there were other animals there: Two horses in barred cages and two dogs tied upwith metal chains – all emaciated and neglected. The SPCA rescue team quickly set out for the address given them by the police officer where some more policemen had already gathered.
According to Danielle Reches, a SPCA volunteer: “When we reached the site we found two emaciated and neglected horses who were locked into tiny cages full of iron bars and without food. The place was dirty and the horses appeared to be hungry and exhausted, with both of them having very long hooves that hadn’t been tended for a long time. The donkey, a young foal, lay in one of the stalls, his body covered in sores. We were glad to see that he could get up on his legs and walk”.
Once the policemen decided to confiscate all the animals in the yard, and when there was no appropriate response from the call center in the Central Unit for Enforcement and Investigations (formerly the Supervision of Flora and Fauna) of the Ministry of Agriculture, the horses and the foal were taken to the SPCA stables where they will undergo a long period of rehabilitation. The two dogs of dangerous breed were taken to the Veterinary Department of the Tel Aviv Municipality
While the staff prepared special stalls for the horses and donkey, the animals were let out in the SPCA yard that had been strewn with grass and they ate as though they had never before seen food. The three year old mare and seven year old horse, that were named Chrissy and Jack, have been put on a specially nutritious diet that will help them gain weight. In the next little while they will get shots against tetanus, rabies, flu/herpes, Nile Fever and deworming and will undergo professional treatment for their hooves. The three month old donkey, who was named Stanley, is suffering from lashes and superficial wounds as well as an open wound on his leg. He is being treated with washes, disinfectants and special ointments and needs shots against tetanus, rabies and deworming. When they get a bit stronger, the two males will be neutered.
We wish to thank the police officers for their alertness and cooperation, and we ask the public to please help us cover the costs of the treatment being given to the horses and donkey, which are expected to reach thousands of NIS. Please help us to provide optimal care to these poor animals.
For donations click here.
If you come across an animal in distress, please don’t ignore it – call us at: *4553.
