Gaza tiger finds new home in South Africa

By Ihsaan Haffejee

JOHANNESBURG (AA) - After months of negotiations, Laziz, the last tiger left in Gaza has finally reached his new home at the Lionsrock Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa.

Still groggy from the nine-hour flight from Tel-Aviv and the subsequent three-hour drive from the airport in Johannesburg the tiger stumbled around for the first few seconds after exiting his travel cage into his new enclosure.

Earlier on Thursday curious workers at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport’s cargo section gathered around the silver container holding the caged tiger snapping photographs of the majestic creature with their cell phones.

The container was loaded onto a truck and transported to the Lionsrock Big Cat Sanctuary near the town of Bethlehem around 300 km south from Johannesburg.

The tiger was rescued by the animal welfare foundation Four Paws who has been actively working with the animal owners in Gaza since September 2014 in order to find safer homes for the animals living there.

In July and August of 2014, Israel waged a weeks-long military offensive against the Gaza Strip with the ostensible aim of staunching rocket fire from the coastal enclave.

Over 2,160 Palestinians, mostly civilians, were killed -- and some 11,000 injured -- during the 51-day onslaught. Some 73 Israelis, mostly soldiers, were killed in the offensive.

Countless buildings and facilities have been bombed and destroyed, affecting not only people, but also animals.

Laziz was held at the Khan Younis Zoo, which due to an Israeli blockade, was no longer able to adequately care for and feed its animals.

All the animals held at the zoo have been rescued and the facility has subsequently been closed this week. Besides the tiger, 15 other animals were sent to a sanctuary in Jordan.

Four Paws’ Amir Khalil, who headed the Gaza mission told Anadolu Agency: “The closing of the zoo means a new life for tiger Laziz and the other animals, which up to now have had to waste their lives away in desolate cages, suffering from a lack of food and medical care.”

“The sound of bombs is not comfortable for humans and animals alike. For sure this was a stressful factor for an animal like Laziz living in Gaza in a small enclosure. So now we are happy that he is here and that he can look forward to living a life of safety free from the stress and trauma that he experienced in Gaza,” said Ioana Dungler the wild animals director for Four Paws.