One Man Army in Gaza

A gentleman from Gaza City devoted his life to serving strays. Saeed al-Err cares for the dogs and cats wandering about in the city. He founded an animal rescue called Sulala Animal Rescue.

The animal rescue centre has become a safe haven for almost 350 dogs. The animal lover has rented out a house where 40 cats have made their special abode whilst 30 more cats have been kept in the comfort of his home.

Saeed got irked when he came across a very disturbing post on a social media platform that was uploaded by Gaza’s municipal office. The post made his blood boil and so he responded. After his response, a host of journalists and organizations from animal welfare groups reached out to him. He also marched up to the municipality office and asked them to remove the post. The officials did agree to take down the post.

This was when Saeed decided to take a loan from the bank and lease out a piece of land to build a home for animals. After a year, he had to sell his car for funds to raise the animals he had adopted. He also went to restaurants and wedding halls to ask for leftover food to feed the animals.

The light ahead of the tunnel seemed at a distance. But then he was approached by authorities to open a Gaza City Shelter. The second shelter just opened in the north of Gaza.

While speaking to The Guardian, Saeed said “Every day I receive around 10 phone calls about animals that need saving. I wish I had half an hour just to myself. My wife is responsible for everything. Also, she takes care of all the sick cats I have in the house. She gives them medicine, food and care. I couldn’t have done anything without her. ”.

Saeed keeps working in the hope he’s able to build an animal hospital to serve all the distressed animals.

Many volunteers have come forward to help out at the rescue centre. A group of them go around and visit nurseries and schools to teach the kids about the importance of tending to animals with love and compassion.

A few international communities have also reached out to Saeed to support him and his noble cause. One such organization has extended their arms to take the responsibility of paying salaries to the two workers at the centre. Many have started altering their perspective about coming forward and helping animals. A few adopted animals from the rescue centre. Saeed follows a foolproof adoption procedure and does thorough checks before sanctioning the adoption of an animal. The good news is that several municipal bodies have reached out to Saeed to open shelters too!