Golan soldiers rescue a deer in the Golan/photo: Sgt. Rami Mesray
Does the deer have a problem? Probably.
About two weeks ago, Nir Leichter, a reservist who stopped for coffee in Nahal Hashur, handed over a photograph of an Eretz-Israeli deer with "something strange on its back" to Amir Laban, a member of the Society for the Protection of Nature and the Deer Valley team in Jerusalem.
From an investigation he conducted in Laban with the inspector of the Nature and Parks Authority, Eliav Mesalti, it turned out that it was a familiar deer with a pair of front legs that grew into a deer from the back, and he rushed to the field to try and document the rare phenomenon. "The deer, which began its life in the Kisufim area as an ofer in 2021, survived a complex litter and survived as a young individual, faced many predators that endanger young ofer, matured in Rokia and as an adult managed to occupy an impressive property in the Nahal al-Hashour reserve, one of the important remaining strongholds for the Israeli deer in the Western Negev, especially during the war period "Contrary to expectations, the deer is healthy, strong and has three fawns and a fawn from the previous fall. He was seen hosting the females in the harvest fields and the extra legs on his back do not pose any challenge for him," says Belvan.
More about deer in Vala! Tourism:
The deer has a problem 1: Rare documentation of a deer with a broken antler
We doubt if you have ever seen such a thing in life: A deer in the Negev with green antlers
Operation deer: Golan soldiers rescued a deer that got stuck in a barbed wire fence in the Golan Heights
Born in 2021 and survived a difficult litter. The deer has a pair of front legs that grew out of its back / Society for the Protection of Nature, Amir in Laban
Contrary to expectations, the deer is healthy, strong, and has three fawns in his possession and Ofra/The Society for the Protection of Nature, Amir Laban
The Society for the Protection of Nature adds that multiple organs (polymelia) is a well-known but very rare phenomenon. This is a genetic defect, apparently hereditary. It is known in cattle, poultry and reptiles, and this is the first time it is documented in an Israeli deer. "I watched him while he was looking at a harvested field and waiting for the females," adds Belvan. "They were very timid and it was impossible to get close, but little by little I was able to shorten the distance in order to document this special deer. They were moving up the field, lying down and resting in the gentle heat of the rising sun. The Israeli deer is a wild animal protected by law, and Israel is the stronghold The last of this species. Spring is the height of the littering season and there are small fawns in the field. If you come across a fawn hiding in a field, it is not an orphan. In the first few weeks, the deer hide the fawns from predators. Walk away immediately without leaving scent marks or residues to avoid attracting predators that will devour the fawn. Most likely, the deer is watching from afar and will come to take care of Ofer every few hours."
Multiple organs (polymelia) is a well-known but very rare phenomenon/The Society for the Protection of Nature, Amir Laban
This is the first time that the genetic defect has been documented in an Israeli deer/Society for the Protection of Nature, Amir Laban
There are only about 5,000 deer of this species in the wild
The situation of the Haaretz-Israeli deer is not happy, and according to estimates there are only about 5,000 deer of this species left in the wild. The main danger to the deer's life in the wild is the construction and destruction of natural habitats and the construction of roads, which interrupt their habitats and isolate them from their own kind. Therefore, the Society for the Protection of Nature and other entities are fighting to save every open area and ecological corridor that is still left and at the same time, trying to optimize the planning so that the development will include significant ecological transitions. "There is still a lot of work, and areas that are defined as open areas are actually blocked by fences, infrastructure, etc. Additional dangers to the deer's life are illegal hunters, who hunt them mainly for the purpose of trading in their meat, and an extreme proliferation of stray dogs and jackals, which prey on the deer and their calves," adds Balban. .
More on the same topic:
Deer
Animals
legs
The Western Negev
Nahal Hashur