Immigrating to Israel is a lifelong ambition for some people, and a central tenet of many people’s Jewish beliefs. Several organizations such as Nefesh B’Nefesh have been created in order to make this radical life change easier for people.
But only one company has been created to make the life change easier for pets.
In 2004, Terminal4Pets was created to “provide pet owners with unique solutions…to ship pets safely and legally to/from Israel and the entire Middle East region.” They focus on Israel, but they’ve had clients all over the world, including Africa and India. In 2010, they shipped over 9,000 pets. Most were cats and dogs, says Dr. Eytan Kreiner, the chief of the company’s Veterinarian Flight Division, though they routinely ship “ferrets, hamsters, fish, a lot of crocodiles, some camels.” The strangest? Last year, they were asked to ship two hippopotami.
The agency endeavors to be a one-stop shop. They book airline tickets, and make sure all documents are filled out and regulations are met. Which kibbutz will accept you and your pet hippo?–Unfortunately, you’ll have to figure that out yourself.
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