” player=”SPdDOYds” platform=”jw-player” playlist=”Toq2ZZoq” placement=”true” /]
Dead cats have been discovered on the streets of Israeli cities in what animal rights activists believe could be a sick string of mass poisonings.
Bodies of dead strays were found across four blocks in western Tel Aviv on Friday, according to the nonprofit Noah, the Israeli Association of Animal Protection Organizations.
It comes just a day after six cats were also found dead with no external injuries in the nearby city of Kiryat Ono, the organization announced on Facebook.
The six cats were believed to be indoor-outdoor animals and were found in homes and gardens after supposedly ingesting poison off the streets, where it can easily spread.
It was not immediately clear how many felines were found in Tel Aviv but city authorities are investigating, Noah told The Post.
No suspects have been identified, it added.
The group urged people to keep an eye out and call the police if they see anything suspicious. The group also recommended cleaning out and refilling food and water bowls left out for neighborhood cats.
“If you found food that looks suspicious (sausages, meat, etc.), collect it in sealed bags and contact us,” the advocates also said in a post.
It also urged that people do not throw out the cat carcasses, noting that it is important for them to be saved for investigators to come and collect.
The welfare of Israeli animals and wildlife has been a recent concern, after 335 birds died in a suspected poisoning in a national park in southern Israel in February, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Birds of prey were also poisoned there in early 2024, the outlet reported.
The deaths have come amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Greater Spotted Eagles, Black Kites, Spur-Winged Lapwings and Hooded Crownears were among those most recently killed, according to inspectors from the Nature and Parks Authority, who believe a toxic substance was in the birds’ drinking water.
The parks department also announced that there were nine incidents of fatal poisonings of wild and domestic animals, including 12 jackals, five foxes, a wild boar, a winter hare a domestic cat and a dog back in January, according to reports.
