Sulala Animal Rescue
| Formation | 2006 |
|---|---|
| Type | Animal welfare organisation |
| Legal status | Active |
Key people |
|
| Website | sulalaanimalrescue |
Sulala Animal Rescue (سلالة), also known as Sulala Society, is an animal shelter in the Gaza Strip founded by Saeed Al-Err in 2006. In addition to operating as a stray animal shelter and vet, the organisation seeks to promote the welfare of animals through education.
History
[edit]In the early 2000s, Saeed Al-Err would spend his days feeding stray animals he saw around Gaza. He was horrified to stumble across a Facebook post from a local municipal office encouraging the killing of strays. With help from locals, journalists, and animal rights groups, Al-Err presented a case opposing this to the office and persuaded them to make a u-turn. He borrowed money and sold his car for land to house the animals, and used a combination of his own money and public donations to feed them. He almost closed the operations for financial reasons before being offered support[1] by the Palestinian Authority (PA) as a civil servant.[2] After a nine month dog training course in Russia,[3] in 2006, Al-Err registered Sulala in Gaza City as an official charity to operate as a dog, cat, and donkey shelter, headquartered in Zeitoun.[4]
By 2022, Sulala had opened a second site in North Gaza.[1]
During the Israel–Hamas war, Sulala were forced to move and scatter operations multiple times. The cats and disabled dogs were the first to be evacuated south, first to Nuseirat.[5] 19-year-old employee Loay Rami Al-Wadi was killed early on.[6] Having stopped receiving shipments on 9 October, Animals Australia sent a truck of aid to the Rafah crossing on New Year's Eve, but the truck's arrival was hindered by delays.[7][8] To One Green Planet, Al-Err called his continued efforts to help strays a "shelter for the displaced dogs".[9]
Operations
[edit]Sulala is funded and supported by a combinations of donations, aid, and a monthly pension. The organisation feeds stray animals and brings those at risk of violence or in need of medical attention to the shelter, which has a veterinary clinic. Animals are isolated and rehabilitated upon arriving at the shelter before being permitted to mingle.[10] All animals receive the necessary vaccinations, and healthy animals who qualify for it undergo spay neuter.[11]
Volunteers from Sulala from visit local nurseries/kindergartens and schools to promote the welfare of animals through education.[1]
Due to the lack of specialised veterinary prosthetic limbs in Gaza, Al-Err and his brother designed and built their own mobility aid for a dog named Lucy using scrap materials from old bicycles and toy cars, providing a basis for the shelters' care of amputees. Sulala has also arranged specialised surgeries for certain animals with clinics abroad.[12][1][13]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Ali, Ziad (11 April 2022). "Pet rescue in Gaza: one man's mission to care for abandoned animals". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ Davis, Charles R. (21 May 2021). "In Gaza, 'war is horror' for everyone, including the cats and dogs". Business Insider. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ Hourany, Dana (13 February 2024). "How Sulala Animal Rescue shelter saves Gaza's starving, petrified pets". The New Arab. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "As Gaza Truce Holds, Palestinians Treat Wounded Animals". Asharq Al-Awsat. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Gaza's Only Animal Shelter Fights to Protect Hundreds of Dogs Amidst War". Rocky Kanaka. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Rescuers try to survive & keep animals alive under fire in Israel & Gaza". Animals 24-7. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ Alcini, Camilla (10 February 2024). "With few resources left, a man in Gaza hopes to save hundreds of animals". ABC News. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Supporting Gaza's only animal welfare organisation". Animals Australia. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ Sparke, Trinity. "Gaza's Sulala Animal Rescue Faces Urgent Challenges Amidst Ongoing Conflict". One Green Planet. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ Asad, Mohammed (14 October 2021). "Rehabilitating Gaza's stray dogs". Middle Eastern Monitor. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ McAlpin, Nick (23 September 2019). "Caring for Stray Animals in Besieged Gaza". Tenderly. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ Al-Mughrabi, Nidal (13 December 2021). "Gaza shelter turns toy cars, bikes into aids for paralysed animals". Reuters. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ Taylor, Alan (22 September 2020). "Animals in the News". The Atlantic. Retrieved 28 March 2024.