Safe Haven for Donkeys in the Holy Land (SHADH) is a British
registered charity
A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good).
The legal definition of a ch ...
that cares for working and abandoned
donkey
The domestic donkey is a hoofed mammal in the family Equidae, the same family as the horse. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a ...
s in
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
and the
Palestinian Territories
The Palestinian territories are the two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been militarily occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, namely: the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. The I ...
.
The organization, which was set up in 2000, runs a donkey sanctuary near the Israeli town of
Netanya
Netanya (also known as Natanya, he, נְתַנְיָה) is a city in the Northern Central District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa, between Poleg stream and Wingate I ...
. At the beginning of 2017, Safe Haven was home to more than 230 donkeys.
Safe Haven also runs a programme of free
veterinary clinics for working donkeys,
mule
The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two pos ...
s and
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...
s in the Palestinian Territories. The team regularly visits towns and villages where they offer free veterinary care, advice on tooth and hoof care, harnessing and education and support for the owners.
In 2012 the charity opened a permanent clinic in the Palestinian city of Nablus, open 7 days a week and is treating around 200 working donkeys, mules and horses every week.
The charity's Royal Patron is HRH Princess Alexandra the Hon Lady Ogilvy KG GCVO. Patrons are the Rt Hon the Earl of Stockton, actor Peter Egan, journalist and broadcaster Kay Burley, broadcaster Des Lynam, actor
Anthony Head, author and journalist
Julie Burchill and former
MP and author
Ann Widdecombe.
See also
*
Animal welfare and rights in Israel
Animal welfare and rights in Israel is about the treatment of and laws concerning nonhuman animals in Israel. Israel's major animal welfare law is the Animal Protection Law, passed in 1994, which has been amended several times since. Several other ...
*
Brooke Hospital for Animals
Brooke is a United Kingdom-based international equine charity, which focuses on the welfare and care of donkeys, horses and mules. With more than 900 people working helping to deliver services, Brooke is the largest equine charity in the world ...
*
The Donkey Sanctuary
The Donkey Sanctuary is a British charitable organisation devoted to the welfare of donkeys. The charity, which is based near Sidmouth in Devon, England, was founded in 1969. It is one of the largest equine charities in the world with an annua ...
References
{{reflist
External links
Official websiteBBC article on Ann Widdecombe's involvementYouTube: Sanctuary in the Holy Land gives comfort to hard working donkeys
Charities based in Israel
Palestinian charities
Animal charities based in the United Kingdom