Ramallah: A monkey from an animal shipment transported on Monday from the Gaza Strip to Tulkarem in the West Bank was bitten to death by other monkeys in small cages provided by the Israeli occupation authorities.
According to Ayman Kharbat, the owner of Al Nakheel Zoo which received a dozen of monkeys and two turtles from Rafah Zoo, the Israelis allowed the animals remain in their original cages from Gaza until the shipment reached the Beit Hanon crossing (Erez Crossing) where the Israelis instructed officials to cram the animals into tiny cages. “The Israelis shockingly crammed the shipment in tiny cages where the monkeys which belong to two different families were left covered in faeces of other creatures,” he told Gulf News. “When the shipment arrived in Tulkarem, the vets found that the animals were suffering severe exhaustion and distress from the transport conditions imposed by the Israelis.”
“Just few hours later, one monkey who suffered multiple and serious bites from other monkeys, was found dead inside the cage. Israeli conditions have led to the unnecessary death of the animal,” he said. “The Palestinian officials were suddenly instructed by the Israeli authorities on the Erez Crossing to find an alternative way as the Gazan cages were not allowed to enter the West Bank via Israel.”
The Israeli Coordinator Office of the Government Activities at the Territories announced on Monday that a dozen monkeys and two turtles were cleared to be transported from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank where they will enjoy a better life. The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture contacted the Israeli office in the West Bank and asked for assistance to rescue and transport the animals from the Rafah Zoo to a Tulkarem zoo. “The Palestinian officials said the conditions in Rafah Zoo were inhumane and sought to have the animals moved for their well being,” said the office of the Israeli coordinator in a statement.
Kharbat said that the Tulkarem zoo received a lion last March and a lioness two months later and the two animals arrived in their Gazan cages which the Israelis never rejected. “It took more than a month to coordinate the transportation of the monkeys and the turtles to Tulkarem, but the Israeli mysterious and unpredictable regulations proved to be a serious hindrance.”
