These animals were part of a large group of dogs and cats that were being abused in a northern Israeli animal shelter called Girgurim. After the group, consisting of 120 dogs and 100 cats, was rescued from the shelter by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, it was discovered that most of the animals had a deadly, contagious disease called Leishmania. Because the disease, which is spread by sand flies, could also infect humans, the state wished to put all the animals to sleep. However, after being tested twice by the Agricultural Department, 16 of the animals were discovered to be clean of the disease.For more than a month, the dogs and cats’ fate has been in limbo, despite the fact that Canada, who's environment has no sand flies that carry the disease, has been willing to accept the 16 animals.The approval has finally come for the animals’ transfer. Among the most excited is Tal Gilboa, Netanyahu’s advisor on animal rights issues, who tweeted that she had witnessed the “tireless” efforts of the PM and others to achieve the goal of saving these animals.In early June, Netanyahu appointed Gilboa, a known vegan activist and founder of the animal-rights organization Israeli Animal Liberation Front (now known as Total Liberation), as his advisor on animal rights. In a statement sent to Plant Based News, he cited her appointment as an important step, since animal rights “is a subject that has gradually become more and more dear to my heart.”אני שמח שרעייתי שרה ואני, יחד עם טל גלבוע שמובילה מטעם הליכוד את הטיפול ברווחת בעלי החיים, הצלחנו לסייע להצלת חיים. תודה לכל העוסקים במלאכה במהלך השנה האחרונה ולשר החקלאות אורי אריאל. אנחנו רואים חשיבות גדולה בקידום רווחתם וזכויותיהם של בעלי החיים ונמשיך לפעול בנושא pic.twitter.com/EfQIvEbnF5
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) July 10, 2019