Last week, Border Police forces and Nature and Parks Authority inspectors rescued an endangered peregrine falcon that was illegally and under harsh conditions in the Bedouin diaspora in the Negev, by a father and son.
The falcon was released after receiving a report of a falcon being illegally kept near Highway 25. When Border Police officers and inspectors arrived in the yard of the house where the young falcon, an endangered species, was staying, they discovered that it had been held tied by a weight that prevents it from flying.
The Wandering Falcon // Photo: Dave Strokov - Israel Nature and Parks Authority
During the interrogation of the suspects, it emerged that they had kept the falcon for several months in a closed container, apparently to prevent passersby from seeing it. At that time, the falcon was fed pigeons apparently hunted by family members, and later taken out to a tree in the yard.
The falcon was transferred for further treatment to the Safari Wildlife Hospital in Ramat Gan, where it was examined and its tail feathers appeared to have been trimmed. The falcon will undergo a series of tests and treatments, after which it will be decided whether it will be possible to return it to the wild at some point.
The container in which the peregrine falcon was kept for several months, photo: Dave Strokov - Israel Nature and Parks Authority
Amram Sabri, a researcher in the Southern District: "This is damage to protected natural values and the ecosystem. A peregrine falcon is an endangered falcon that comes to Israel in winter and stays here until spring. At this time, unfortunately, there are people who hunt them for falconry purposes (the art of using falcons or strong day raptors), trafficking and for beauty or a kind of status and status, and even upload pictures taken with them to social media."
A peregrine falcon is a bird of prey, one of the fastest in the world. Due to his speed and skill in hunting birds in the air, including pigeons, quail and queues, he is in great demand among the falconers. This falcon species used to nest in Israel, but since then it has become extinct, partly due to the massive and uncontrolled use of pesticides, and probably also from the destruction of nests and the capture of adult individuals.
The Nature and Parks Authority wished to emphasize that raising wild animals as pets is prohibited by law, and that this may endanger the breeders and harm the animals, which are raised in conditions that do not suit their needs. If you encounter an injured animal, please report it to the Nature and Parks Authority's hotline at *3639.
The area where the falcon was kept, photo: Dave Strokov - Israel Nature and Parks Authority
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