Hunting down Israel's illegal hunters
Only the courts can deter the poachers in the Lower Galilee hunting for local deer, wild boar, porcupines and goldfinches, say Israel Nature and Parks Authority officials.
The sun has yet to rise over the Tsalmon Stream riverbed in the Lower Galilee, but Israel Nature and Parks Authority officials are already prepared to head out to catch their prey. And I don't mean animals, of course, but rather the real threat to the goldfinches, the deer, the wild boar and the porcupines in the area – the poachers.
Using a helicopter to patrol the skies over the Lower Galilee, the game wardens keep watch from above over the helpless animals.
The director of the INPA's northern district, Guy Eilon, and warden Ro'i Arad spend the dawn hours of Saturday in a small helicopter; their objective – to hunt the poachers.
"The animals are just now waking, are still stretching their limbs and feathers. They are sitting ducks at this time of the day, and it's the best time for the poachers," Eilon explains.
The helicopter flies at an altitude of 100 meters, and the two begin their work, trying to locate the poachers, who operate using various methods.
Sometimes they show up with ferocious dogs; others make use of pick-up trucks and quad bikes. The poachers look mainly for deer, rock partridges, porcupines and goldfinches. Various other species, too, are targeted – and face eradication.
The Tsalmon and Amud riverbeds are visible from the helicopter windows. Families of wild boars scamper across the terrain, and partridges suddenly take to the sky. "What a paradise," Eilon says. "This is precisely what we are protecting; the poachers are drawn to here," Arad adds.
The helicopter reaches the area of the Yavniel Stream riverbed, and Eilon spots a private vehicle on the ground. "Poachers don't usually come in private cars," he says, "but let's see who they are."
The helicopter circles the vehicle, which suddenly accelerates in an effort to flee. Something is thrown from the car – the poachers ditch their catch and equipment. IPNA officials jump to the ground and set off on foot after the poachers, who have abandoned their vehicle.
The game wardens find a bag among the vegetation. It contains a fine net used to trap the goldfinches and bird seed. A meter away lies a small cage containing two recently snared goldfinches. The poachers plan to cage them with a canary to create a songbird – a beautiful hybrid with a wonderful song.
"This is the quietest and most cruel and most worthwhile poaching from their point of view," Eilon says. "With just a little effort, they lay out the net and trap the goldfinches. Every one of those birds is worth NIS 1,000."
Meanwhile, Arad calls in reinforcements. The poachers have nowhere to run, with the team in the helicopter keeping an eye on them as they flee down the riverbed.
A warden on a quad bike is hot on their heels, and minutes later they are apprehended by another warden who heads them off in a pick-up truck. "We came here for a picnic," they say. "We aren't hunting; we're hiking." One of them was found in possession of two goldfinches just the day before.
"I caught him just yesterday," Arad says angrily in reference to the one poacher. "He was interrogated until six in the evening, and now he's here again."
The IPNA has been waging a war against the poachers for some 50 years, and officials say the solution is a clearly apparent. "As long as the courts continue to fail to impose harsh penalties to deter them, the poachers will not stop," Arad explains.
