The Animal Caucus Holds First Meeting and Decides to Protect Animals in Municipal Pounds

PRESS RELEASE

28 November 2006, Jerusalem

Yoel Hasson, Knesset Spokesperson

Tali Lavie, Hakol Chai Spokesperson

The animal protection caucus has been established in the Knesset and had its first meeting today. The caucus was established as a result of the imitative of MK Yoel Hasson, who presides over it, in collaboration with Hakol Chai. About sixty representatives of groups working to protect animals were present at the meeting, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and from the Ministry of Environmental Protection. The first subject on the agenda was the dire situation at the municipal pounds. MK Dov Hanin, who is a member of the caucus, also took part in the meeting.

MK Yoel Hasson said at the meeting: "Animals were my first hobby as a child. When I reached the Knesset, I assumed that the subject was being dealt with and I was looking for a way to get involved, but I was surprised to find that there wasn't a group in the Knesset in charge of taking care of animals. The success of the caucus is in the cooperation by all the groups working for animals, whose love and concern was evident in the meeting. It may be that the first task should be to change the name of the Animal Welfare Law to Animal Love Law, and that will start the change."

Adv. Yadin Elam, director of Hakol Chai: "We are sorry that the important subject of animal protection has been dealt with by only few MKs to this day, and we very much appreciate MK Hasson's initiative to lead parliamentary processes for animal protection in the fields of legislation and enforcement. With regard to the subject matter of the meeting, the municipal pounds, unfortunately many companion animals live a harsh reality in the municipal pounds. There are pounds where puppies are held on freezing nights on cold concrete, and many of them are doomed to live in an overcrowded space, until their predictable death."

At the end of a vibrant discussion between the group representatives and representatives from governmental ministries, the caucus decided to act in several ways. MK Yoel Hasson will meet with representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture to discuss the state of the pounds and ways to improve them. It was further decided to try to formalize the volunteer work at the pounds in order to add some "soul" to it and to change the atmosphere. Another way of action is increasing the supervision over the pounds and formalizing it. In the next meeting, the caucus will follow up on this issue and more crucial topics will be raised.

For further details, contact Elad Shimonivitz, spokesperson for Yoel Hasson: 050-6230256

Tali Lavie, spokesperson for Hakol Chai: 054-7709986