Gaza animal shelter uses old toys to help wounded pets walk

It was a freezing moment for Lucy, a paralyzed dog, when animal caretakers put a wheelchair on her to help her move again. Photo: Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

An animal shelter in the Gaza Strip is using the wheels of toy cars and kids' bicycles to build mobility devices for disabled cats and dogs, helping them walk, run and play again despite a lack of access to specialised prosthetics.

Workers at the Palestinian enclave's Sulala Animal Rescue society are working to fit some 32 cats and dogs with the makeshift wheelchairs or with artificial limbs made from recycled wood and metal.