Israeli Veterinarian Awarded Global Prize for Rescuing Pets Amid War
Dr. Galia Shalev, a veterinarian from Moshav Ein HaBesor, has been awarded the prestigious 2026 WSAVA Animal Welfare Award for her extraordinary bravery in rescuing and treating abandoned pets during the Gaza war.
In the chaotic days immediately following October 7, 2023, as the western Negev swarmed with security forces, faced infiltration threats, and endured relentless shelling, many residents evacuated hastily, leaving their entire worlds behind. Yet Dr. Galia Shalev, a veterinarian from Moshav Ein HaBesor and founder of the NegeVet clinics, chose to stay and save lives—the lives of the pets left behind.
In recognition of this unwavering dedication, exceptional performance in combat conditions, leadership, and genuine risk to her life, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) announced that it will award Dr. Shalev its prestigious 2026 Animal Welfare Award. The win follows an overwhelming recommendation by the Israeli Companion Animal Veterinary Association (ICAVA).
On the morning of October 7, Dr. Shalev and her husband, Ziv, were on their way to a bicycle training session near Kfar Aza and Nahal Oz when the attack began. Their two children were left alone at home in the settlement. The next day, after meeting up with their evacuated children, the couple returned to Ein HaBesor, loading their vehicle with basic supplies for an extended stay in the evacuated moshav, alongside pet food and medications donated by the Vet Market company.
On the ground, they were exposed to harrowing scenes of distress: animals trapped in burned homes, pets wounded by gunfire and shrapnel, and others wandering bewildered, thirsty, and starving. Dr. Shalev and her husband scanned the evacuated communities, provided urgent field treatments, and rescued animals from the rubble. "It was unlike anything I experienced in my many years as a veterinarian," Dr. Shalev recalls. "Rescuing and treating the animals from the evacuated communities was simply something that had to be done. Sometimes we even risked our own lives to bring these animals out, knowing that such an animal is part of the family. For some families, it was truly a lifeline after the terrible day they endured. Bringing a dog back to a family evacuated to a hotel who took almost nothing with them—there is nothing more emotional than that."
A Nationwide Rescue Operation
Among the numerous treatments, one particularly memorable story involves a dog from Kibbutz Sufa that hid in a safe room under a sofa with its owners for hours. When soldiers arrived to rescue the couple, the dog panicked and fled. The owners were forced to evacuate without her, but after some time she was located at the gate of a neighboring kibbutz. Dr. Shalev and her husband collected her, and a volunteer from the community drove her all the way to a hotel at the Dead Sea to reunite her with her family.
This spontaneous initiative quickly evolved into a large-scale emergency operation. When Dr. Shalev's private clinic filled to capacity, she and her husband converted a stable in the moshav into a temporary emergency shelter. A broad volunteer network formed around it, including a Zoom war room established by her daughter and friends from Ben-Gurion University to recruit foster families, alongside assistance from the veterinary organization that set up a command center in Beit Shemesh.
Emergency Clinic at the Red Sea
Later, when Dr. Shalev arrived in Eilat as an evacuee, she established an improvised emergency clinic on the minus-1 floor of the Royal Beach Hotel. Using equipment, medicines, and vaccines provided by the organization, she provided free treatment to hundreds of dogs and cats belonging to evacuees staying in the city's hotels, complete with orderly registration, microchip checks, and updates to the national database.
"These tasks in Eilat kept me somewhat sane during that period," she shares. "I felt I could fulfill my calling and help animals and people who needed it so desperately."
WSAVA noted that Dr. Shalev's work highlights the importance of professionals in times of emergency as a unifying and strengthening force for the community. Dr. Anat Lichter Peled, chair of ICAVA, congratulated her on the award, stating that her work reflects "the highest values of the veterinary profession: compassion, service, responsibility, and courage." Dr. Shgev Dishon, a member of the organization's executive board, added that her field response combined practical leadership with rare personal responsibility.
Today, nearly three years after that terrible day, Dr. Shalev's clinics have returned to operation in a new format, after all the staff who worked with her prior to October 7 were replaced. "We reinvented ourselves, just like many people did," she concludes. "This award may bear my name, but it represents the compassion, courage, and commitment of my husband, Ziv, my daughters, and all the many volunteers who worked to save animals. This is a powerful reminder of our responsibility as veterinarians to be there for the animals and the people who love them in their hardest moments."
