Local

AMMAN — International and local organisations are currently working on a project to improve the health and working conditions of horses and donkeys in the ancient city of Petra, according to stakeholders.

International animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS said in a statement sent to The Jordan Times that it is collaborating with the Princess Alia Foundation and Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority to implement and finance the project.

“We’re constructing stalls and water drainage systems, and we’re modernising an existing veterinary clinic,” the statement quoted Robert Hengl, project leader at FOUR PAWS, as saying. 

“We’re also providing medicines, medical equipment, and training for the local vets, blacksmiths and animal owners.”

Around 1,350 donkeys and horses transport visitors in the ancient Nabataean city, 235km south of Amman, in areas difficult to navigate in cars. 

“The burdens they have to carry or pull are often much too heavy in relation to the animals’ diminutive size, and the working days are far too long,” FOUR PAWS, which is based in Vienna, said in the statement. 

“Many animals also have no shade from the sun, and insufficient regular fodder and water, quiet places, and veterinary care. They suffer from exhaustion, lameness, colic and incorrect diagnoses,” it added.

In cooperation with two vets from the local horse clinic, a FOUR PAWS team is currently in Petra Park administering first aid to injured and sick horses and donkeys.

“Most of the animals suffer from painful injuries or infections on their legs, partly caused by galloping too quickly on ground that is hard and stony,” the organisation said. 

“Many of the owners are more than happy to take up the offer of free treatment for their animals, and are very pleased that FOUR PAWS is there,” it added.

The new stalls will be ready in early summer, according to FOUR PAWS. 

“Then all the working horses and donkeys will have enough fresh water to drink, they can be washed down, and can take a break in the shade,” the statement said. 

Over the next few years, staff from the organisation and the Princess Alia Foundation will provide regular veterinary treatment, and training for the owners. 

“We want to work together with the animals’ keepers to let the horses and donkeys lead a healthier life,” said Hengl. 

“Keepers who really know their animals and their animals’ needs can look after them properly and act promptly in the case of, for example, health problems.”

A single animal provides enough income to feed up to six people, meaning that around 8,000 people around Petra are dependent on their horses and donkeys, according to the organisation.

For several years, FOUR PAWS has been successfully collaborating with the Princess Alia Foundation, which Princess Alia Al Hussein founded in 2009. The two organisations have worked together on several projects to help strays in Jordan, and are currently collaborating on the construction of a refuge centre for wild animals in northern Jordan, “Al Mawa for Nature and Wildlife”. The shelter will soon provide a home to big cats and other wild animals from poor keeping conditions or the illegal animal trade.

AMMAN — Criminal Investigation Department (CID) agents arrested on Saturday a “dangerous” suspect wanted in 20 car theft cases, and confiscated a stolen vehicle found in his possession, according to a Public Security Department statement.

As part of the CID’s efforts to curb car theft, its personnel led a number of raids during the past few weeks and caught a number of suspects, restoring tens of stolen vehicles, according to the statement.

AMMAN — The Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET) commenced its five-day rapid response team training on Saturday in Amman, according to an EMPHNET statement.

Held in collaboration with the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the event hosts specialists from the ministries of health of Pakistan, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia, according to the statement.

The goal of the training is “to build the capacity of public health specialists working in the Eastern Mediterranean Region” in areas of public health surveillance, outbreak detection, outbreak investigation, rapid response, disease control and evidence-based decision making.

AMMAN — Save the Children Jordan concluded on Saturday the third phase of its child protection programme, which focuses on combating gender-based violence and early marriage.

The third stage of the programme, which marked its conclusion, is supported by the Norwegian embassy in Amman and included awareness workshops for civil community organisations and seminars for teenagers.

Child Protection Officer at Save the Children Majd Sweiss said the programme cooperated with 23 charity associations in Amman, Mafraq and Ramtha, and held workshops for 46 representatives of child protection associations.

AMMAN — The Jordan Nurses and Midwives Association (JNMA) on Saturday inaugurated a training centre for specialised nursing at the JNMA complex in Amman.

The head of administrative affairs at the Health Ministry, Abdul Rahman Maani, expressed the ministry’s readiness to cooperate with the association in training nurses in other governorates.

JNMA President Mohammad Hatamleh said the syndicate seeks to apply this project in other governorates, noting the new centre has already started organising training courses in many nursing specialisations the medical sector needs.

AMMAN — The Muslim Brotherhood on Saturday described Yemen’s Houthis as “outlaws” and “colonisers”, calling on the Yemeni people to stand firm against attempts to destabilise their country.

In a statement sent to The Jordan Times, the Islamist movement also called on Iran to deal with neighbouring Arab and Muslim states away from its long-held “colonial” attitude and halt its “invasion” of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.

The group also called on the Iran-backed Shiite Houthis to withdraw from the regions they occupied in Yemen and immediately engage in the peaceful political process in Yemen.

AMMAN — Wael Toukan was elected on Friday as president of the Jordan Contractors Association.

Ahmad Yacoub was elected as vice president in the elections in which 1,234 voters cast their ballots.

AMMAN — Riots that took place at Al Rashid Hall at the Professional Associations Complex late Friday prevented the sorting of ballots for the Agricultural Engineers Association’s council elections.

The ballot-sorting process was halted after it was found that some ballot papers were not signed and stamped as required, according to the association’s former president, Abdul Hadi Falahat.

Brawls erupted as a result of the halt, with windows shattered, and chairs and tables broken in the ensuing violence.

Organisers called Gendarmerie personnel, who took charge of the ballot boxes and moved them to the association’s headquarters, until the ballot sorting process is completed.

Ballot counting and sorting resumed on Saturday evening. 

AMMAN — Culture Minister Lana Mamkegh checked on several cultural centres in the south of the Kingdom over the past two days.

Her tour covered Prince Hussein Bin Abdullah II Cultural Centre in Maan and Jordanian cultural heritage societies.

Mamkegh stressed the importance of engaging with the public in cultural activities and the need to follow up on initiatives on the ground.

She noted that diversifying cultural activities helps raise the awareness of the local community and stimulates creativity.

AMMAN — Education Ministry Spokesperson Walid Jallad on Saturday said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Mohammad Thneibat has no Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter accounts.

Pages under Thneibat’s name are not official and are in no way related to him, Jallad said, stressing the minister’s openness and cooperation with media outlets.