The animal welfare group Let the Animals Live says open concrete pits at Tel Aviv light rail construction sites are still harming animals, despite a warning it sent to NTA about three months ago. The group is now highlighting the case of Lucy, a stray black cat who, it says, recently fell into a concrete pool left at a rail work site and emerged with hardened concrete stuck to her fur.
According to the group, passersby found Lucy, caught her, and took her to municipal veterinary services, where large sections of her fur had to be shaved off to remove the concrete. She has since been returned to the street, with much of her coat gone and her body exposed.
The organization says the danger was raised earlier after residents reported open concrete pools about 50 centimeters deep at a work site at Arlozorov and Shlomo HaMelech streets in Tel Aviv. In its legal letter, the group said the pits were left unattended for long periods and that the existing fencing did not stop animals from entering. It warned that the pits were a "death trap" for cats, reptiles, rodents, birds and other animals, and said it had already received reports then of a cat that fell in and needed medical treatment. It demanded that NTA fence or cover the pits and take further steps to reduce the risk.
Let the Animals Live says NTA responded that it had instructed contractors to fence the casting sites, but that this did not solve the problem on the ground. In a post, the group wrote, "We contacted NTA about the concrete pits it leaves long before Lucy sank into one," adding that "in practice the situation remained the same." The group is now calling for immediate measures to prevent repeat cases and to seal the pits so animals cannot enter.
NTA said it was very sorry to hear about Lucy and wished her a speedy recovery. It said the contractor is carrying out extensive casting work across Gush Dan for the fast progress of the Purple Line, that all sites are fenced, and that after Let the Animals Live’s February complaint it issued instructions to ensure the fencing blocks animals from entering. NTA said it had not encountered additional cases beyond Lucy’s, but acknowledged the difficulty of fully preventing cats from entering large sites. It added that it will review the issue again, observe casting work, and asked anyone who finds an injured cat after concrete work to contact its community relations team through the NTA hotline.
