A German city that took in the first donkeys has distanced itself from the matter. Eight donkeys from the Gaza Strip made their way to Germany, where they were airlifted to Liège Airport in Belgium before being distributed to animal care facilities. Four of these donkeys were taken in by «Tiergarten Obenheim» in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, while the other four were moved to «Ballermann Ranch» in the village of Blokfinkel in Lower Saxony.The arrival of eight donkeys from the Gaza Strip to safe havens in Germany has sparked a major debate. Local reports indicate that the animals have begun to 'communicate cautiously' with the other residents of the park and that their health is good.Obenheim municipality, in response to a journalistic inquiry, stated that it was not a party to the arrangements for bringing in the animals, noting that communication took place exclusively through international networks of animal welfare workers.According to the newspaper «Allgemeine Zeitung», the zoo's caretakers confirmed that international intermediates handled the coordination, but one employee refused to give further details, saying they would not provide additional information about the donkeys after being subjected to a barrage of cyberattacks and sharp criticism online.However, the debate has taken on a broader political and ethical dimension, as the attention to the animal transport comes at a time when most of the injured children from Gaza are still deprived of the opportunity for treatment in Germany, even though its government had announced a focus on providing assistance to children and civilians in Gaza on the ground.The organizers of the rescue say they saved up to fifty 'stray or injured' donkeys from the war zone in the Gaza Strip in this single batch alone, and since the outbreak of the war, they have evacuated about 600 donkeys from the area.In Obenheim, a special barn was prepared for the new animals, where they were isolated and heated, as they were accustomed to a warmer climate in Gaza.After a poll of visitors, the donkeys were named «Anna», «Elza», «Greta», and «Rudi».According to the German news site «ND», the operation was organized by an association called «Zuflucht zum Neuanfang» («A Refuge for a New Beginning»).
