Zvika Tamuz started taking care of abused animals almost 30 years ago, in 1993.
In 2004 he became aware of the mistreatment of horses and donkeys in Israel.
Zvika lives in a moshav and has a large yard and stables and a field behind his stables, so there was room for the shelter of those animals.
It soon became known in Israel that there was someone who could take care of horses and donkeys and have room for them. So animal welfare groups, police and even the military started calling Zvika every time an abused horse or donkey was found.
There was an urgent need for a shelter for these animals, and so the organization “Pegasus” was born.
And why then, you may ask?
In 2004 the price of iron skyrocketed and suddenly you saw local residents from the West Bank coming to the coastal area of Israel with their donkeys and horses to collect scrap iron.
This was the beginning of a new era of overloading and overburdening of horses and donkeys.
Zvika was called day and night by people who saw those poor animals, often starving and injured, passing by with unbelievably heavy loads of iron on their backs or in front of a cart with an overly large load of iron, while being horribly beaten by their owners .
Many of those animals fell under the load and could not get up again!
In August 2006, the animal welfare organization “Let The Animals Live,” decided to take action. That organization's spokeswoman, Eti Altman, wrote letters to various government organizations about the terrible suffering of those animals, demanding that the government begin to help Zvika financially. Until then, he had paid for everything out of his own pocket.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection began to fund the rescue operations of the horses and donkeys, but not the care afterwards.
In 2007, a team from the international animal protection organization, the WSPA, came to Israel to visit Zvika, and the plan is to open an education center and a visitor center in conjunction with the WSPA.
There is also a plan to start an educational program in the Arab and Jewish sectors of Israel to teach the younger generation to compassionate and care for these animals.
The money needed for the daily care of the many horses and donkeys comes partly from Zvika herself and partly from donations from around the world.
Many of the animals are rehomed after a period of rehabilitation, but some remain in Zvika's shelter “Susita” for the rest of their lives.
In 2014, a law was passed in the Israeli parliament that banned the use of horses and donkeys for work.
The horses and donkeys also need your help!
Rescue and rehabilitation of horses, donkeys and other animals
Phone Number: 072-2313313
Mobile: 050-9797123
Email: pegasus.org.israel@gmail.com