Breaking! FOUR PAWS International To Rescue 40 Wild Animals Suffering In Gaza Zoo By End Of Month; Donations Needed To Support Their Rescue Efforts

After weeks of arduous negotiations, FOUR PAWS International has announced that it will rescue more than 40 animals, including five lions, from horrific conditions at Gaza’s oldest and most notorious zoo at the end of March.

Once the evacuation is complete, FOUR PAWS will initially place all rescued animals in sanctuaries in Jordan.

Earlier this month, the organization exposed the brutal practices performed at the Rafah Zoo on the Gaza Strip, including the abhorrent declawing of a 14-month-old lioness with garden shears so that visitors could manhandle her.

FOUR PAWS subsequently learned that other lions were also at risk of enduring the brutal and unethical procedure in order to turn the animals into “playthings” at the zoo. Unbelievable!

At the beginning of 2019, four lion cubs froze to death at the controversial zoo due to inadequate protection against harsh weather. Given the state of the war-torn city, there are no means for proper nutrition, medical care or shelter.

“We are happy to finally put an end to this horror. The animals of Rafah Zoo have had to live under unimaginably dreadful conditions,” FOUR PAWS veterinarian Dr. Amir Khalil, who helped evacuate two other zoos in Gaza in 2014 and 2016, said in a statement.  “Evacuating more than 40 animals in just a few days will be a logistical, mental and physical feat; it is our biggest rescue attempt to date.”

The Rafah Zoo opened on the Egyptian border in 1999. From there, wild animals have been repeatedly smuggled through underground tunnels to and from Gaza.

FOUR PAWS has been rescuing captive animals in Gaza since 2014 and has already evacuated and closed down the Al-Bisan Zoo and Khan Younis Zoo. The former zoo inhabitants were transferred to FOUR PAWS’ own sanctuaries.

Now, the organization has a petition calling for the rescue of all animals, and the final closure of the Rafah Zoo, one of the three remaining zoos in Gaza. Please Sign HERE!

Most importantly, FOUR PAWS, which called the Rafah Zoo on the Gaza Strip a “Zoo of Sorrows” on its Facebook page, is requesting donations be made to help the organization bring these animals to safety and finally end their unimaginable suffering! Please Consider Donating HERE!