West Bank refuge welcomes unfancied donkeys

West Bank refuge welcomes unfancied donkeys

RUJAYB, Palestinian Territories: Rakan Silos rises early every Thursday and heads to a West Bank donkey shelter where he helps care for animals that still play an important role in daily Palestinian life. Donkeys that did not attract a buyer at a weekly market in Nablus are brought to the shelter in nearby Rujayb, where Silos, a veterinarian, examines them "completely and free of charge." The shelter is run by the British charity Safe Haven For Donkeys, established in 2000 to care for working donkeys in Israel and the Palestinian territories. Donkeys "work so hard for so little," but are often plagued by easily treatable conditions like overgrown hooves and bad teeth, the charity says. Some Palestinians still rely on donkeys for transport and in agricultural work. Silos, who trained at Al-Najah University in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, said donkeys in Nablus are brushed and coddled, the way some in other cultures might treat a cherished horse. On Thursdays, market day in Nablus, fully grown donkeys are popular sellers, but younger ones often go unsold and abandoned because buyers want animals at full strength rather than one that will take time and money to raise. "We take care of them