The storm “Barbara” also brings this – lightning struck a plane that was carrying dogs from Cyprus and was supposed to land in Belgium. Due to the lightning strike, the plane could not continue on its way to Liège Airport (Belgium), so they decided to land it at Ben Gurion Airport. Among other things, there were 28 mixed dogs on the plane, most of them adults, and they were on their way to an association in Belgium that would take care of them for new homes.
In light of the unplanned stop and the difficult weather conditions, the dogs, which were found to be in good condition during the flight, were transferred to a protected facility of the Ministry of Agriculture where they are well cared for by the veterinarians of the Ministry of Agriculture.
The Ministry of Agriculture explains that leaving the dogs on these cold days, in cold conditions and inside the flight cages for an extended period of time may harm their health and constitute a serious and unnecessary harm to their well-being. Therefore, the veterinarians of the office transferred the dogs to be treated in a protected facility of the office under adequate conditions, where they can extract limbs, eat and drink and cuddle with warm blankets. As of this moment, there is no estimate of when the plane will take off on its way to its original destination, and the dogs will stay in the protected facility until the plane takes off.
The Ministry of Agriculture’s protected facility is routinely used as a warm home for animals that the Ministry turns away due to violations of the Animal Cruelty Law and due to abuse or neglect by irresponsible owners. The facility is a temporary station until the animals are re-adopted, where they receive treatment and medical rehabilitation according to their condition, until they can be moved to a new home for adoption.