San Diego, CA (special) -- Veterinarian Yonatan Peres, in San Diego last week on a fundraising mission for Hebrew University, says animals as well as people should enjoy the benefits of the "New Middle East" envisioned by his father, former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres.

Peres said the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, operated by Hebrew University, is helping to extend to other countries of the Middle East some of the knowledge and techniques taught at his school for the alleviation of suffering in animals.

Currently there is "a big tri-national project" among Israel, Egypt and the United States to "fight the tropical diseases that affect cattle and sheep," he said. "And we have a long list of research that we want to do together in that field." Peres is director of the teaching hospital of the 13-year-old school, which is the only veterinary school in Israel.Although Hebrew University's main campus is in Jerusalem, the veterinary school is divided between two satellite campuses. Classrooms are in Rehovot, about 15 miles south of Tel Aviv,

Dr. Yonatan Peres "on the air" in San Diego

and the teaching hospital is in nearby Rishon LeZion. 

"We have courses for continuing education to promote the standard of medicine in Israel for private practitioners," he said. "We have courses for Palestinians and we have courses for Egyptian veterinarians who visit the country. We are just beginning with the Jordanians."

"The location of the State of Israel on the map is what we call a continental bridge: a bridge between three continents, Europe, Africa and Asia," Peres told a small group of luncheon companions invited to the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club by Edith & Dr. Irving Taylor on behalf of the American Friends of Hebrew University. 

"In such a location, you have the problems of spreading diseases partly because of wind, partly because of migrating birds and also for other reasons," he added. "As part of the 'New Middle East,' all the countries of the region should get together to fight those diseases and prevent them."

Born in a household which the world associates with international politics, Peres said almost from birth he loved animals. "I always used to bring home all those wounded animals," he recalled. "My parents wanted to kill me but they had to live with it -- stray dogs and cats, wounded birds, turtles; you name it. All my life I knew I was going to do something with animals."

He said he read books about animals so avidly, it was like "drinking" in the texts. He also enjoyed attending lectures on zoology, particularly about the behavior of wild animals. Yet, "I never thought that I was going to be a veterinarian," he confided, "because for some reason I thought that veterinary medicine was a narrow field...but I was proved to be wrong."

"As a veterinarian, you have to know about physiology, anatomy, health, nutrition, behavior, psychology, and also about people, because you are not isolated," Peres said. "If you are a nasty person you might be a wonderful doctor but you will be left alone. You are dependent on people bringing you animals."

Peres' first degree was in animal science, which dealt primarily with farm animals. The problem with that field, he said, was that "when a cow is too sick, or breaks a leg, or the meat production goes down, that is it; there is no sentimental value, as opposed to pets, for which you would sell your house to treat an animal."

Disillusioned with animal science, he spent seven years in the field of landscape gardening. "I loved every moment of it; it is a little bit like painting or art--they have a lot in common," Peres said. But then he heard that Israel planned to start its own veterinary school, instead of sending its students to the United States and other countries to learn. He decided to enroll. 

One of the oldest students in the school, he was well-respected by other students, who chose him to speak for them at graduation ceremonies in 1989. Thereafter he engaged in private practice, then went to Philadelphia to participate in an internship program at the University of Pennsylvania. On return, he joined the faculty of the veterinary school, "then I started from scratch the emergency and critical care unit." Less than a year ago, he was appointed as director of the school's teaching hospital.

Although he said he much prefers to "sit down and take care of an animal," he was inspired by his father's vision of Israel and its neighbors working together on common problems. He decided to try to build the veterinary school into a resource not just for Israel but for the entire Middle East. 

The veterinary school has a long list of projects for which it seeks donors. Among them is a proposal to construct a $10 million facility adjacent to the teaching hospital, eliminating the need for two campuses. For $3 million, the veterinary school proposes to staff an "Institute for Zoonotic and Tropical Diseases" which can cooperate with other academic institutions around the world to work on the problem of diseases transmitted by animals to humans. Another $100,000 is sought for the equipment required for such an institute.

The proposed institute would build upon "strong research and educational ties" already in place with Egypt and the Palestinian Authority, according to information distributed by Scott Nebenzahl, San Diego regional director of the American Friends of Hebrew University.

Proposed programs at the institute include "1) Postgraduate degree programs leading to PhD degrees. 2) Training programs for foreign students to provide them with first-hand introduction to zoonotic and tropical diseases of local and socio-economic importance. 3) Short-term training programs for veterinary students to introduce them to zoonotic and tropical diseases and their impact on the world."

The veterinary school also seeks $95,000 to equip a laboratory for diagnosis and research into infectious diseases. "Exotic infectious agents from Asia and Africa are constantly a threat to livestock in Israel," a prospectus explains. "In the proposed laboratory, bacterial, viral and protozoal infectious diseases will be studied."

Said Peres: "We should try our best to prevent illness and poverty both in animals and human beings. My father all the time says 'peace in the Middle East is very important, and in order to achieve peace we should find things that we have in common.' ... One of the beautiful things that I see is that projects in agriculture, animals, health, culture, research -- all of these thing bring people together. Why do we have to hate each other? There is no reason. We can all live together in that region in harmony."

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Last Sunday, Peres was a guest on KFMB Radio's "Doctor Dog" show, hosted by animal behavioralist Dr.Dennis Fetko. Asked his feelings about the practice of using animals for research, he replied:

"We have a very strong Humane Society and we are following all the regulations of that organization. Every study that anyone announces he wants to do has to go through committees and sub-committees, and believe me we do anything not to abuse animals."

Further, Peres reassured his radio listeners, "the world is changing: we do a lot more biotechnological research, molecular biology, genetic engineering; so you don't really have to deal with live animals anymore" in research.

He said that Hebrew University's Koret School of Veterinary Medicine is interested in participating in a research project with Jordan and the United States, represented by Purdue University in Indiana, "to increase computer aided learning systems" which would enable simulated operations on animals instead of vivisections.

"Instead of learning on a live animal how to operate," he said, "we have found that students can do it just as well by doing it on the computer."