Through an Israeli animal welfare organisation, donkeys are being evacuated from Gaza. Injured children, however, remain blocked by the German government despite offers of assistance by some cities.
Eight donkeys from the Gaza Strip have found a new home in Germany. They were part of an operation by the Israeli association “Starting over Sanctuary”, which recently reportedly rescued 50 abandoned and injured donkeys from the war zone. They were flown to Liège: four of them were collected by supporters of Tiergarten Oppenheim in Rhineland-Palatinate. Another four donkeys were reportedly taken to an estate called “Ballermann-Ranch” in Blockwinkel, Lower Saxony.
The city of Oppenheim told “nd” in an inquiry that it was not involved in the import. The zoo confirmed that the placement was handled exclusively through international animal welfare contacts – otherwise, a staff member said nothing: “We no longer provide information about the donkeys, as we have received an enormous shitstorm.” According to a report in the Rheinhessen-based “Allgemeine Zeitung”, the association had anticipated criticism – for example from people claiming that bombed-out Palestinians were having their means of livelihood taken away along with the animals.
The animals’ stable in Oppenheim has been isolated, and additional blankets provided, as the donkeys from Gaza are accustomed to warmer temperatures, the newspaper explains. According to a visitor survey, they were named Anna, Elsa, Greta, and Rudi. The animals are reportedly doing well; the regional media notes that they are “even cautiously making contact with the other residents of the zoo”.
Their own reports suggest that the Israeli association “Starting over Sanctuary” has already organised ten flights, each carrying 50 donkeys from Gaza. Meanwhile, injured and traumatised children from the war zone are denied entry to Germany. Several German cities have repeatedly offered to take in children, supported by Christian Democratic Party-led North Rhine-Westphalia, which urged the federal government to change course in the matter. The World Health Organization reports that thousands of children urgently need to be evacuated from Gaza and receive medical treatment.
Two children who were eventually allowed to enter had to leave Germany after completing medical treatment. Social Democratic Party MP Clara Bünger accuses the German government of “blocking necessary help and violating human rights after months of looking away and supporting Israel’s war.” Entry is being prevented with “spurious security concerns.” Providing assistance to the children on site – as the governing coalition demands – is not possible due to a lack of infrastructure, Bünger says.
Published in German in „nd“.
Image: The Palestinian donkeys in Oppenheim are now called Anna, Elsa, Greta, and Rudi (Tiergarten Oppenheim).
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