Vulture severely hurt in Golan poisoning released back to nature
Eight vultures, two jackals and a fox were found dead in the Golan Heights after eating poison spread illegally over the weekend. Only 12 vultures remain in the Golan
Zafrir Rinat | May 16, 2019
The Nature and Parks Authority released back to nature on Thursday one of the two vultures treated for poisoning over the weekend in the Golan Heights.
After being treated at the wildlife hospital in Ramat Gan, the vulture was transferred in a cage to the Gamla Nature Reserve before being set free.
On Friday, eight vultures, two jackals and a fox were found dead in the Golan Heights after eating poison spread illegally.
According to the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, two vultures fell sick from consuming the organic phosphorus and received medical treatment in the field and were then transferred to the wildlife animal hospital in Ramat Gan.
On Sunday, the police arrested a suspect in the poisoning. The suspect, Ghassan Mandouri, in his 30s, is a resident of the Bedouin village of Tuba Zangaria in the Upper Galilee.
In the hearing to extend Mandouri’s remand, Tiberias Magistrate’s Court Judge Nir Mishori Lev Tov said: “After reviewing the investigative material and the [police] report, I’ve reached the conclusion that an evidentiary basis, which links the suspect to the offense attributed to him exist in the sufficient extent to establish a reasonable suspicion, while taking into account the investigation is still in its initial stages.
Before this incident, there were about 20 vultures in the Golan Heights. Over the past two years, the Nature and Parks Authority brought vultures from Spain to Israel and released them into the wild, in hopes of replenishing the population. The reduction in the vulture population is mainly caused by poisoning with pesticides, which seems to be the case here. Other causes include lead poisoning from hunters’ bullets, and electrocution on power lines.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-vulture-severely-hurt-in-golan-poisoning-released-back-to-nature-1.7248597
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Police nab suspect in poisoning of Golan vultures, jackals and fox
Meanwhile, condition of surviving vulture improves; wildlife groups to lobby for law calling for stiffer punishment in cases of poisoning
Nir Hasson, Zafrir Rinat | May 13, 2019 | 12:20 PM
Police on Sunday arrested a suspect in the poisoning of eight vultures, two jackals and a fox in the Golan Heights. The suspect, in his 30s, is a resident of the Bedouin village of Tuba Zangaria in the Upper Galilee.
Meanwhile, there has been a substantial improvement in the condition of one of the vultures found poisoned on Friday. It is being treated at the wildlife hospital at the Ramat Gan Safari, after undergoing a series of tests. Veterinarians there say it could be released back into the wild within a few days.
An investigation into the poisoning has been launched by the central unit of the Border Police’s northern district, which specializes in agricultural crime. The working assumption has been that the poisoning was done by cattle farmers who are trying to fight off predators like jackals and wolves, which attack the livestock. The vultures die after eating the poisoned carcasses.
While the Nature and Parks Authority still isn’t certain as to which sort of poison was used, the Safari’s chief veterinarian, Dr. Yigal Horowitz, said that according to the circumstances and the physical symptoms presented by the surviving vulture, it is likely that pesticides were used.
For its part, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel announced that when the Knesset resumes activity on Monday, it will ask MKs to sponsor an amendment to the Wildlife Protection Law that would impose stiffer punishment in cases involving poisoning.
The amendment states that anyone owning land on which pesticides have been used (not including local authorities) would be considered to have spread and used them illegally, unless proven otherwise. In addition, the new clause would allow a search of a person, his belongings, or his property without a warrant if there’s a reasonable suspicion that he has violated the law. The Nature and Parks Authority has said it will also promote the bill.
The vulture carcasses were found Friday in a cattle grazing area. According to sources, both legal and illegal pasturing takes place there; the illegal grazing is generally by livestock belonging to Druze residents of the Golan Heights or residents of Tuba Zangaria.
Omri Sharon, chairman of the Israeli Cattle Breeders Association, said that he and his fellow farmers condemn the poisoning, but noted that the authorities also don’t deal effectively with the killing of calves by wolves. He added that cattle owners would object to a law that would make it easier for them to be convicted if poisoned carcasses are found on their property, or that would forbid possession of poison substances of the type that may have led to the vultures’ deaths.
“You can’t check every warehouse of every farmer in the country and arrest those who keep pesticides,” Sharon said.
Shay Zerbib, chairman of the Golan pasture lands association, agreed that wolves are a genuine threat. “Wolves can destroy a herd,” he said, adding, “but everyone in the association knows that you cannot use poison. Most of the people who breed cattle came to this profession because they love animals, not hate them.”
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-police-nab-suspect-in-poisoning-of-golan-vultures-jackals-and-fox-1.7226614
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To prevent more vulture deaths, we need harsher penalties
The Nature and Parks Authority has taken steps to save the vulture population – but they won’t help if farmers poison the birds
Zafrir Rinat | May 11, 2019 | 11:57 PM
The particularly worrisome aspect of the aggravated poisoning of several vultures over the weekend is that it was only a question of time before something like this happened. The professionals who work with wildlife knew this could happen in a reality in which the use of pesticides by farmers is almost totally unsupervised, with transgressors receiving slaps on the wrist.
The chances of poisoning are increased with the sloppy removal of agricultural waste, which leads to higher levels of carnivores such as wolves and coyotes. These animals start preying on calves and sheep, and ranchers respond by using poison.
>> Eight vultures, two jackals and a fox die of poisoning in Golan Heights
Poisoning is the chief cause for the disappearance of vultures in the Golan Heights. The vulture population is still having a hard time recovering from the largest incident, which occurred in 1998. But this is not the only danger they face. Vultures and other birds of prey often get electrocuted on high-voltage lines or are hunted in neighboring countries.
Another threat that is worrying the Nature and Parks Authority these days is the construction of electricity-generating wind turbines. There are concerns that vultures and other large birds will be killed by the turbine blades.
For this reason it was recently decided that a large wind farm that will be built in the Golan will also employ an observation system (using either birdwatchers or radar) to identify when large birds approach, in which case the turbines will be shut down in order to prevent any accidents. The nonprofit Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel claims that this will not be sufficient; the organization is calling for the plan to be rejected.
The Nature and Parks Authority has taken many measures in recent years in an attempt to save the vultures. It has established feeding stations supplied with carcasses, and has used observers to locate and remove dead animals from the area in order to prevent poisoning of large birds. The authority has expanded its operations and is now receiving assistance from Spain. But everyone involved in this line of work knows that these steps will not help if the poisoning continues.
The authority believes the solution lies in an amendment to the law protecting wildlife which would call for stiffer penalties for harming of protected wildlife species. In addition, it would ensure that the people responsible for the territory on which an incident occurs will have to prove that they were not involved in the violation (currently the burden of proof lies with the state). The amendment would also call for expanding the jurisdiction of Parks and Nature Authority rangers so that when there is a suspected poisoning, they can enter private land without a court order.
The authority will attempt to promote the new amendment when the new Knesset convenes.
Another vital aspect that requires amended legislation or better regulation is the regulation of pesticide sales. There is no justification for these materials to be in the hands of cattle-growers, but as one professional involved in the protection of nature noted, it’s harder to buy a gun in Israel than it is to buy these toxic substances.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/science/.premium-to-prevent-more-vulture-deaths-we-need-harsher-penalties-1.7223194
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Eight vultures, two jackals and a fox die of poisoning in Golan Heights
Only about 12 vultures remain in the Golan after the latest illegal poisoning, which seems to have been caused by farmers targeting predators that attack cattle herds
Zafrir Rinat, Jack Khoury | May 10, 2019 | 6:46 PM | 2
Eight vultures, two jackals and a fox were found dead Friday in the Golan Heights after eating poison spread illegally.
According to the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, two more vultures fell sick from consuming the organic phosphorus and received medical treatment in the field and were then transferred to a wildlife animal hospital in Ramat Gan.
In the area where the poisoning took place, there are illegal grazing activities and vultures have been poisoned there once in the past. An official complaint is being filed, and an investigation will be opened.
>> IN PHOTOS: The vultures have landed
A representative of the Nature and Parks Authority said: “This is a grave and difficult event that significantly hurts the vulture population in the Golan Heights during its nesting period. The authority will use all means necessary to find those responsible for the poisoning and bring them to justice.”
Most incidents of poisoning are connected to farmers who are struggling against predators like wolves or jackals, which attack cattle herds. Vultures converge on poisoned cattle carcasses, eat them and die from the poison that was meant for other predators.
Before today, there were about 20 vultures in the Golan Heights. Over the past two years, the Nature and Parks Authority brought vultures from Spain to Israel and released them into the wild, in hopes of replenishing the population. The reduction in the vulture population is mainly caused by poisoning with pesticides, which seems to be the case here. Other causes include lead poisoning from hunters’ bullets, and electrocution on power lines.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/eight-hawks-two-jackals-and-a-fox-die-of-poisoning-in-golan-heights-1.7221218