Inspector shoots residents' dogs, Nature and Parks Authority insists: "Acted according to procedure"

An inspector from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority shot two female dogs and one male dog belonging to a Bedouin resident near Road 1, south of the Ezem area. The dog owner claims the dogs were vaccinated, but the Authority backs the inspector, stating he acted according to procedure. A volunteer rescued two female dogs for veterinary treatment; one underwent surgery and her puppies were removed.

An inspector from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority shot two female dogs and one male dog belonging to a Bedouin resident near Road 1, south of the Ezem area, on Sunday morning. Ahmed Abu Abdullah, the dog owner, says the children noticed the bleeding dogs, and he saw the Authority's green truck driving away. A volunteer, Amit Yaakobi from the 'Standing Together' movement, chased the inspector, collected two female dogs, and transferred them for treatment at the veterinary hospital in Beit Dagan. The third dog remained in the field. The inspector, named Itamar, claimed that an explanation had been given in Arabic translation, and that the dogs were biting children and were unvaccinated, but Abu Abdullah and activists claim the dogs are vaccinated and registered. The Nature and Parks Authority backs the inspector, stating he acted according to procedure, and that this is an exceptional year for rabies spread. The animal welfare organization 'Let the Animals Live' criticized the shooting policy, noting that Nature and Parks Authority inspectors shot 1,333 dogs last year. The female dog shot in the abdomen, Mazi, underwent surgery and her puppies were removed; the second, Nastia, is being treated with antibiotics. The article notes that the dogs were vaccinated.