Weekly report from Safe Haven for Donkeys: news from Gaza, West Bank, Egypt and Israel

 https://www.safehaven4donkeys.org/our-donkey-update-5th-february-2026/    Please scroll to the end of this newsletter to read the report of this month. Deep respect for the achievements of this amazing  animal welfare organisation

Dear friends, This week, we wanted to take a moment to thank you – and to share some examples of the difference you have made for donkeys, mules and horses over the past year. This update is dedicated to you. Everything in it exists because you chose to care about donkeys in need. Across Egypt, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, your generosity has helped save lives, ease suffering and protect working animals that people depend on every day. If you’d like to read the full report online, you can do so here. I hope you'll feel proud of the progress being made for donkeys - and the role you are playing in making possible. Thank you so much. Wendy Safe Haven UK Office PS. We’ll soon be sending a separate update to everyone who adopts a donkey. Donkey adoptions also make thoughtful gifts – perhaps Theodora could be your Valentine, or you could adopt Valentine for someone you love.

Gaza - life saving care in the hardest conditions

In Gaza, our mobile veterinary team has continued working through conflict, shortages and flooding to treat donkeys and horses in desperate need. These animals are often a family’s only means of transport to food, water and medical help. With the ceasefire holding, many families have returned home to find their animals injured or close to collapse, creating a surge in urgent calls to our team. Your support has meant wounds treated, pain eased and lives saved when there was nowhere else to turn.

In the refugee camps, the number of donkeys has increased sharply, meaning our team are needed more than ever.

The West Bank - mobile vet teams, rescue & recovery

Despite roadblocks and delays, your support has helped to keep our three mobile teams on the road in the West Bank, reaching working donkeys wherever help was needed.

Our head vet, Dr Rakan, leads one of three mobile vet teams in the West Bank.

You’ve also helped improve our hospital in Nablus, including a new surgical space, and ensured rescued donkeys arriving at our Arrana centre receive proper veterinary care and a nutritious diet. Animals that arrived weak and malnourished are now healthy, active and thriving.

Mahmoud runs our rescue centre in Arrana, in the West Bank.

Egypt - on-the-ground care for working donkeys

In the brick kilns of El Saf, two vet teams - funded by your support - treated more than 2,000 donkeys last year. Painful wounds were cleaned and dressed, lameness was eased, and animals were given immediate relief from exhausting working conditions. Just as importantly, your support has helped train owners, stockmen and farriers, reducing suffering before it starts, and given veterinary students hands-on experience to improve donkey welfare for years to come.

Our El Saf vet teams have made amazing progress in animal welfare - all thanks to you.

Israel - a safe permanent home for rescue donkeys

At our sanctuary in Israel, your generosity has helped care for 173 rescued donkeys while also improving their home for the future. New shelter, better fencing, improved water access and vital shade now help protect the herd through harsh weather conditions. You’ve also helped welcome new arrivals – donkeys who were abandoned, and who now have safety, care and a home for life. Recent arrivals included Anat and Arbel, a closely bonded rescue pair, as well as Deborah, who arrived pregnant, and a foal, Theodora, who had suffered a nasty dog bite before reaching the sanctuary.

Pregnant Deborah is being carefully looked after as the sanctuary team prepares for her new arrival.

Thank you Erna for being part of this work, and for everything you continue to make possible through your support - be it adopting a donkey, giving a regular gift, or supporting our appeals.

Thank You   Everything we do is made possible by you. Your donations are helping us to care for all the rescue donkeys at our sanctuaries in Israel and the West Bank. You are also funding our mobile vet teams in Gaza, Egypt and the West Bank, to provide vital veterinary care for working donkeys. Thank you for caring for these gentle animals.

Donate today

Here's Meme who lives at Arrana, our rescue centre in the West Bank. Just one of the rescue donkeys being cared for with your support. Thank you.

If you'd like to read previous updates of our work, please click here to visit out blog. You can also view today's update online by clicking here.

Dear friends, 7 photos from the Westbank where free veterinary care for donkeys, horses and mules from busy city markets to rural areas are a lifeline for working animals

 

Dear Friend

Every day, our hardworking veterinary teams travel across the West Bank to bring vital free veterinary care to donkeys, mules, and horses. From busy city markets to remote hillsides, they are a lifeline for working animals and the people in the West Bank who depend on them.

Thanks to your generous support of our recent vet kit appeal, these teams - along with our vet teams in Gaza and Egypt - are now better equipped than ever.

The new equipment and medicines you helped to fund are already making a real difference - and in this week’s email, we’ll take you behind the scenes with our three dedicated vet teams, led by Dr Omran, Dr Eyed, and Dr Rakan, to show you how.

We hope you enjoy the photos - and thank you again for making this work possible.

With kindest regards,

Wendy, Safe Haven UK Office

News from the West Bank

Dr Omran and his farrier Ali, travel across the hills and countryside of the West Bank to care for rural animals. Here you can see Ali fitting a head collar to a donkey - this was made possible by your support to our recent vet kit appeal.

We provide head collars to animals in the West Bank to replace painful chain collars.

Thanks to Dr Omran’s dedication, these donkeys receive the vital medical care they would otherwise go without - from wound treatment and parasite control to hoof trimming and dental checks. All this vet care is provided free thanks to your support.

Your support to our appeal helped to fund a range of medicines and treatments.

In the bustling city of Hebron, donkeys, mules and horses are used daily to pull heavy carts loaded with fruit, vegetables, and other goods. It’s hard, physical work - and Dr Eyed and his farrier Ahmad are there to make sure these animals are as healthy and pain-free as possible. They carry out regular welfare checks and provide essential treatments right where they’re needed, including at the city’s busy vegetable market.

Our vet teams visit a range of places - including busy markets.

Dr Rakan leads our team in the Nablus area, working alongside farriers Wael and Nour. They visit communities  to check on working animals, treating injuries, infections and other health issues. This includes hard-working builder donkeys who carry heavy loads of bricks.

Our vets provide a range of care, from treating simple wounds through to field operations such as castration.

The team also care for shepherd donkeys. These animals help herders look after their flocks in some of the most isolated and difficult-to-reach areas.

Shepherd donkeys bond with their herd and help to keep them safe.

Dr Rakan also runs our drop-in veterinary clinic at our Nablus hospital, where owners can bring their animals for free vet care. And he makes regular visits to the Arrana rescue centre to provide check-ups to our donkeys who live there.

Dr Rakan also provides free vet care from our Nablus hospital through a drop-in clinic.

Thank You  Everything our vet teams do to support working donkeys, mules, and horses is only possible because of you. Your generosity helps us protect animals and support their owners across the West Bank, Gaza, and Egypt - as well as care for rescued donkeys at our sanctuary in Israel and our rescue centre and hospital in the West Bank. Thank you for making this vital work possible.

Donate Today

Your support helped provide this young boy with a new body brush, so he can care for his donkey with kindness and confidence.

If you'd like to read previous updates of our work, please click here to visit out blog. You can also view today's update online by clicking here.

Animal Heroes Nederland opent een noodkliniek in Jenin (Westbank) voor dieren in nood (Foto's en 3 video's)

 Translation top of the blog in many languages

Een paar weken terug zijn we teruggekeerd van onze derde bezoek aan de Westelijke Jordaanoever. Tijdens deze reis hebben we: Voorbereidingen getroffen voor het openen van onze eigen noodkliniek in Jenin; Voedsel voor dieren gekocht en één van Diana's dierenwinkelschulden afgelost om toekomstige leveringen te garanderen, in totaal €1.000; Het asiel van Diana Babish bezocht, dat nu 200 dieren herbergt, het dubbele van de capaciteit. De dieren zijn veilig, maar we waren erg verdrietig om zoveel dieren in kleine hokken te zien; Als onderdeel van ons bewustwordingsprogramma hebben we 100 Palestijnse kinderen in twee scholen onderwezen over dierenwelzijn en respect voor dieren. We geloven dat onderwijs de enige manier is om structureel geweld tegen dieren te beëindigen; Een gastcollege gegeven aan de Bethlehem Universiteit over dierenwelzijn. Het grote nieuws... We openen een noodkliniek in Jenin Door het escalerende geweld in Jenin zijn veel dieren gewond geraakt en zonder zorg achtergelaten. Er is momenteel geen enkele steun voor dieren in Jenin, de plek waar het juist het hardst nodig is nu. Daarom openen wij in maart de eerste noodkliniek in Jenin om ter plaatse gewonde dieren te kunnen behandelen. De opstartkosten van €5.000 zijn gedekt, maar we hebben nu de uitdaging om €3.500 per maand in te zamelen om medische zorg voor 100–200 dieren te kunnen bekostigen. Onze dierenartsen werken gratis als vrijwilligers en de praktijkruimte wordt ons gratis aangeboden, maar we hebben echt jouw steun nodig om medicijnen en andere medische benodigdheden te kopen.  Als je ons daarmee wilt helpen, dan kun je via onderstaande knop een donatie doen. Ja, ik doe mee en doneer voor medische hulp Voedsel voor 1.500 dieren Onze eindejaar voedselcampagne heeft €3.539 opgeleverd. Hiermee konden wij 1.500 dieren voeden, 500 meer dan we hadden beoogd! De donaties zijn gestuurd naar: • Maryam's katten in Gaza (50 katten) • Dr. A’aed's medisch team in Gaza (50 dieren) • Sarah Abbas in Libanon (100 dieren) • Give me a Paw in Libanon (200 dieren) • Angela Stoop in Oekraïne (500 dieren) • Diana Babish in de Westelijke Jordaanoever (400 dieren) • Gali Matte Yehuda in Israël (154 honden) Voer aan het kopen op de Westelijke Jordaanoever Dieren aan het voeren in Gaza Onze Nederlandse collega (paraveterinair verpleegkundige) Angela Stoop brengt voer diep in de oorlogsgebieden in Oekraïne.  Voer voor dieren in Libanon Voer voor asieldieren in Israël Hondenhokken voor Turkse honden in de sneeuw En last but not least, we hebben dankzij steun van donateurs een eerste deel van een hondenhokkendorp (15 stuks) geleverd aan een Turks asiel, waar honden letterlijk in de diepe sneeuw leefden zonder een huis. Ja, Turkije... Ik weet het, we konden het ook niet geloven, maar we hebben ontdekt dat Turkije bergen heeft, en die vol sneeuw zijn.  Namens ons hele team, uit de grond van ons hart bedankt; jouw steun redt levens! Met diervriendelijke groet, Esther Kef Founder Animal Heroes esther@animalheroes.nl www.animalheroes.nl @animalheroes.eu Tel: 06-39724161 Ja, ik doe mee en doneer voor medische hulp Animal Heroes is één van de snelst groeiende dierennoodhulporganisatie in Europa en is gevestigd in Amsterdam. Het doel van Animal Heroes is om dierenhelden - mensen die zich in de zwaarste omstandigheden inzetten voor dieren -  zichtbaar te maken en te ondersteunen met concrete noodhulp. De organisatie heeft noodhulpprojecten uitgevoerd in Gaza, Libanon, Oekraïne, Israël, Turkije, de Westelijke Jordaanoever, Italië, Uganda, Spanje en Griekenland.  Voor meer informatie kijk op www.animalheroes.nl of volg ons op social media via @animalheroes.eu

11 ontroerende en ook grappige foto's uit 'Safe Haven for Donkeys' genomen in de Westbank en Israël: Discriminatie? Nooit van gehoord !

 

Your weekly donkey update from Safe Haven for Donkeys   Dear Friend, Today I'm delighted to send you some lovely photos from our Sanctuary in Israel and Rescue Centre in the West Bank. They really do show the impact of your support - the donkeys are so healthy and happy. Thank you so much for your support. With best wishes Wendy, Safe Haven UK Office News from Arrana Dr. Rakan and Nour recently paid their regular visit to our Rescue Centre located in Arrana, in the West Bank. The donkeys were very pleased to see their friends! The Arrana rescue donkeys came over to greet their friends Dr Rakan and Nour Dr Rakan soon set to work carrying out tooth rasping, including caring for Rakan the donkey's teeth. There is a clear bond and trust between the two. Tooth rasping is vital in keeping our rescue donkeys healthy and able to eat comfortably It's always good to show off your teeth after seeing the dentist Regular hoof trims also help to keep the donkeys in tip top condition. Here we can see Nour trimming hooves while some of the donkeys look on! Dr Rakan walked through the herd to provide a 'hands on' check up of the donkeys. Here he is with Rakan the donkey. Dr Rakan and his namesake, Rakan the donkey  News from the Sanctuary We're pleased to report two of our newest arrivals - Sally and Fabian - have settled in very well. We'll bring you more news of these two in the coming months. Sally Fabian We're always keen to find new enrichment toys and ways of keeping our rescue donkeys happy and content. The scratching post has been particularly popular! There's nothing like a good scratch Even Burnie got involved - here he is with an enrichment ball. Burnie suffered terrible burns before he arrived at the Sanctuary and has to wear a coat to protect his delicate skin. Enrichment toys keep our donkeys busy and happy Today we're leaving you with a video of the scratch post. Our donkeys are loving this new addition to the paddock. Just click the photo below and enjoy! Take a moment to watch our scratch post video of Morris! Thank you  It's only with your help we are able to improve the lives of working donkeys, mules and horses in the West Bank, Gaza and Egypt. You're also helping to fund our hospital in Nablus in the West Bank and care for our rescue donkeys in Arrana, as well as our donkeys at our sanctuary in Israel. If you'd like to read previous updates of our work, please click here to visit our blog. Rakan the donkey is just one of the rescue donkeys at our centre in Arrana. Thanks to your donations this abused donkey is now able to live out his life in comfort in his forever home. Donate Today Your support makes a world of difference to donkeys. You can view our update online by clicking here. You can also share this donkey update by forwarding this link to your family and friends: https://www.safehaven4donkeys.org/our-donkey-update-14th-november-2024/ Copyright © 2024 Safe Haven for Donkeys, All rights reserved. You were subscribed to the newsletter from Safe Haven for Donkeys Our mailing address is: Safe Haven for Donkeys Unit 23 More House Farm Business Centre Wivelsfield Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH17 7RE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.