Poaching of Israeli wildlife by Guest Workers

 

Review by Ron Carmit

assignment for the Wildlife Ecology course

 

Introduction

 

Wild animals, including amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals are sold freely in food markets throughout China and Indochina. As a result, there are 49 to 65 threatened bird and mammal species in China, Indonesia and Indochina as opposed to fewer than 19 threatened species in Western Europe and North America.

 

The causes of wild species extinction in developing countries

1.      Hunting and gathering, which still provide the essential protein sources for people in various developing countries, and is also integrated in their culture

2.      Habitat destruction

3.      Conservation is a luxury that can rarely be afforded in such countries

 

Globalization has created the problem of large scale flow of people from poor, developing countries to richer, stronger economies. Opportunistic immigration in search for a better life through a better income is now the reality in most wealthy countries. It is accompanied by the transfer of cultural traditions, including attitudes to wildlife, hunting and gathering, as well as nutritional preferences and habits.

 

Several examples illustrating the above phenomena and its consequences

 

California, USA

Emigrants from Southeast Asia (over the past 20 years) have caused a negative impact on local fauna including fish, molluscs, birds, rodents and mammals by the use of nets to collect fish from lakes and rivers, as well as massive expulsion of game into hunting areas followed by the mainly unlicensed shooting of animals in excess numbers.

 

Wisconsin, USA

Hmong immigrants from Laos, coming from a tradition of hunters/ gatherers, but with no conservation system or laws, have violated hunting laws there by shooting songbirds, ducks, squirrels and deer.

 

Washington State, USA

Recent Asian immigrants were observed removing entire populations of limpets and barnacles from rocks.

 

Western Australia

Illegal and excessive take of fish, shellfish and crustaceans by immigrants.

 

Asian immigrants are not the only ones to import their hunting traditions to their new homelands, as described in the following examples:

 

Australia

Italian and Greek immigrants to Australia after WW2 were involved in large scale hunting of birds.

 

USA

Recent Russian and Korean immigrants were involved in illegal hunting of deer for meat and bear for medical purposes.

The Israeli situation

 

Hunting in Israel

-              Hunting is allowed only for animals that are classified as either agricultural pests or common.

-              Hunting requires an individual permit for the short annual hunting season.

-              Hunting is not a common practice in Israel.

-              The control of poaching in the country is made efficient by Nature Reserve Authority (NRA) rangers, who have contributed to an increase of wild animal populations between 1965 and 1990.

 

Immigration into the country

-              In the early 90’s, the country had started bringing agricultural workers from Thailand of which the large majority are male.

-              There are small numbers of Chinese workers and other nationals employed in other fields, such as construction and home-nursing. These populations are generally not involved in hunting.

-              Thai workers are employed in most farms throughout the country.

-              Together with the employment of Thai workers in Israel, came the appearance of traps aimed to capture wild animals. At the same time, a decline of several wild animal species populations was also noticed, e.g. the nearly complete disappearance of wild boar (Sus scrofa) population from the area south of the Dead Sea; the entrapment of 22% (4 out of 18 radio collared details) Golan heights wolves (Canis lupus) in noose traps, etc.

 

  

Wild boar (Sus scrofa), Israel

 

Why do Thai workers hunt?

-              Supplementary diet (mainly, but not only, by those of poor salary)

-              Varying their diet

-              As a hobby, leisure activity, out of boredom

 

-              In Thailand and China wild animals (imported animals as well) are hunted and used for the production of traditional Chinese medications¹⁴

 

Elementary preventive steps

Following the discovery of poaching by Thai workers, each worker entering Israel is now signing a contract warning one that hunting is illegal in Israel and that offenders will be extradited, however penalties have rarely been enforced.

 

 

 

 

Hunting Methods

 

The study performed by Prof. Yom-Tov, with the aid of the Israeli NRA, is by far the most extensive ever performed in Israel. The country was divided into 4 regions and teams of rangers were thoroughly searching for traps along roads and fences in and around agricultural areas. The data collected was: date, place, duration of survey, type of crop, presence or absence of fence, types of traps found and signs of animal activity in or near the traps (traps were removed and animal remains were identified).

A further search in and around homes of potential hunters to detect traps and hunting equipment was also performed.

 

General statistics⁷

-              40 to 50 traps located per month

-              Over 300 traps located in December 2005

-              10% of Thai workers in Israel are considered active hunters, each one placing 4-5 traps, reaching an estimate of 15,000 traps at open fields all over the country

 

Traps

-              90 percent of the traps found were noose traps (snares).

-              The materials used to prepare traps reflect the materials available - iron, steel, copper wires, telephone cables and plastic twine. Ready traps and such in production process were also found in workers houses.

-              Traps were places in various locations: at the entrances to animal burrows as well as in paths below fences. They were usually anchored to a firm object - a tree, fence or pole. Animals were sometimes directed to a narrow opening in a fence and towards their trap.

-              Noose traps were mainly aimed at mammals, but some were planned to catch birds. Some traps were placed with the noose above water to catch ducks and waders. In several cases, makeshift water pools were made solely in order to attract small to medium sized birds. In the hot, dry climate of several parts of the country, this method easily attracts animals and birds.

-              Noose traps can also be hung from trees and were generally found to capture many species of animals. Any animal trying to pass through, or step on, such a trap is caught by the noose, which tightens around its neck, chest, abdomen or leg. The noose tightens while the animal struggles to escape, resulting in suffocation and/ or deep wounds.

-              Many traps were old and never checked. Some new traps were infrequently checked, leaving the animal to die. This may prove that poaching is possibly merely a recreational hobby.

-              Box traps were also common. Made as a metal frame from metal wire, with a door connected by wire or footboard to the bait (fruits, vegetables for herbivores or meat for carnivores) inside the trap.

-              Box traps are used to catch rodents, wild boars, nutrias, otters, etc. and varied in size accordingly.

-              Glue traps were also made in order to catch small rodents or hatching birds.

 

 

 

Noose traps hanging along a fence

 

         

        Antelope (Gazella gazelle) trapped by its neck

 

         

        Porcupine (Hystrix Kerr) left to die from wounds

 

 

Active Hunting and Gathering

 

-              Hand held, Y shaped catapults are very common amongst Thai workers, who are highly skillful in using them to shoot stones or small metal balls at birds and reptiles.

-              Driving animals into a traps or net where they can be killed by spears is a common practice for hunting hare or wild boars.

-              Dug pits covered by vegetation with embedded sharp objects, nets or noose traps were used in the escape route of animals. Such traps are also dangerous to humans.

-              Smaller slow moving animals such as hedgehogs and tortoises were gathered by groups of workers simply walking in line in certain areas of the country.

-              In many cases smaller animals were cooked and eaten on the spot.

-              Habitat destruction also results from the active search for small animals.

-              Nets are usually used to capture aquatic or semi-aquatic animals and may be hand made or bought, as seen in the pictures.

-              Funnel shaped nets were constructed within crops in order to lead a scared animal into the closing net trap.  Fine mist nets were found hanging in order to catch birds.

 

  

Net trap in a pond

 

Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) in the trap

 

 

Rescuing the bird from the trap

 

 

Animals at risk

 

-              The article specifies all animal species found in traps:

 

-      28 species of mammals - foxes, boars, goats, hedgehogs, as well as a cow and a donkey, etc.

Mostly caught by noose traps

 

-      25 species of birds - storks, pigeons, doves, cranes, mallards, etc.

Mostly caught by noose traps or hunt by catapults

 

-      7 species of reptiles - turtles, lizards snakes, etc. 

 

-      3 species of amphibians - frogs, toads.

 

-      5 species of Molluscs

 

-      3 species of Crustaceans

 

-              Needless to mention that many of these species are either domesticated animals, species protected by animal conservation laws or extinct species.

 

 

The scale of the problem

 

-              The number of traps found is estimated to be lower than the real extent of hunting, due to technical limitations of finding traps within dense agricultural areas and nearby every fence and road around and within grazing areas and agricultural settlements in the country.

-              However, the evidence presented in the article show a significant problem for nature conservation.

-              Despite the extent of the problem, no study has been performed to quantify the effect of illegal poaching by Thai workers on a particular species.

Law enforcement and prevention

 

-              The Israeli NRA cannot handle the workload, mainly due to manpower shortage, but also because of the lack of proper, effective punishment following the capture of offenders.

-              Awareness to the problem and the threats it poses, especially amongst officials, and the concurrent punishment is only now being accelerated.

-              This acceleration came thanks to a letter written by academics from Israeli universities to government officials, which was followed by media exposure and the establishment of a coordination procedure between the NRA, the police and the ministry of the interior.

-              The goal is to prosecute and expel workers caught laying traps or handling protected animals.

-              Improved education is mentioned in the article’s conclusions as a possible solution for the problem. I was surprise to discover that the NRA had organized (July 2003) a special tour⁸ of the Golan Heights for Thai workers, in order to explain to them about wild animals such as the Griffon Vulture from Gamla and the fauna of the area. The initiator was an employer whose workers were caught hunting; there were 40 participants in the tour, followed by lectures about nature preservation and Israeli laws and a multiple questions test of their knowledge.

-              In addition to formal education by the NRA, a number of Israeli students of ecology and zoology who are also members in environmental organizations, have initiated a project to educate workers on wildlife conservation and environmental issues. Project activities¹² included the aid of Thai students visiting Israel, a lecture given to workers by a Buddhist monk visiting Israel, and a booklet including his quotes and explanations in the issue.                                 Buddhist monk lecture

 

 

Wild animals’ consumption in China

 

-              A survey by the China Wildlife Conservation Association⁵ and WildAid⁶ released in April 2006, suggests that Chinese are consuming less wild game.

-              Half of the people studied gave health risks as the reason for giving up animal consumption.

-              SARS (Severe acute respiratory syndrome) and Avian Influenza are mentioned in many sources over the web to be the reason why people have ceased consuming wild animals, out of the understanding that this is the cause of the spread of these diseases.

-              Media coverage of the SARS outbreak has increased Chinese public’s attention to the possibility of disease transmission from wild animals to humans, especially that of the H5N1 flu virus²⁰.

-              According to the above survey,  the total consumption of wildlife had increased at the same time. The extent of wild animals’ sales in shops has also increased.

-              The SARS outbreak had also brought positive additions of specific clauses to the Chinese health legislation, such prohibiting the consumption of wild animals and advising a stricter management of pets. In the Chinese province of Guangdong, the debate over the consumption of wild animals was hot, as it is where wild animal consumption is a tradition of centuries. It is also believed to be the place where the SARS outbreak had originated. The debate had caused the change of the new regulation terminology from “do not eat wild animals” to a more feasible one - “do not indiscriminately eat wild animals”, which is also in accordance with other Chinese rules encouraging people to breed wild animals²².

-              Consumption of wild civets, considered to be a delicacy in China, was included in the ban against eating wild animals due to the SARS epidemic¹⁷.                 

                                                                                                          Civet (Viverricula indica)

 

Wild animals’ consumption in Thailand

 

-              As mentioned in Prof. Yom Tov’s article, enforcement of animal conservation laws in 3^rd world countries is a luxury.

-              In Chiang Mai Night Safari⁷, opened this year, the meat of exotic animals such as horse, kangaroo, giraffe, snake, elephant, tiger and lion (some imported), as well as that of dogs and crocodiles, is offered on zoo restaurants’ menus¹⁹.

-              Traditional hunting of wild cats for medicines had badly depleted their populations in Thailand. Amongst these species, we can find the Leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis), the Clouded leopards (Neofelis nebulosa) and Tigers²⁰.

 

 

My view of the problem

 

Compared to other burning issues in Israeli daily life, poaching of wild animals gets a certain, but still not enough, attention in the media. When ‘googling’ the Hebrew results for “Thai, illegal hunting” as opposed to “Kassam” (rockets occasionally launched from Gaza to Israel), the ratio is 1:238 results. Needless to explain why security issues and their influence on everyday life take so much more attention and inevitably far more resources.

 

The original article was written 4 years ago, the data included in it was collected during July-September 2000 and many of the references are from the end of the 90’s. I have learnt from recent Israeli media reports that there is a significant increase in the efficiency of law enforcement as well as public and official awareness to the problem; however, there are only several cases of Thai workers expulsion from Israel reported, when an average of 4-5 are expelled yearly. I came across one case of 4 Thai workers whose work permits were revoked and were sentenced to expulsion after their poaching activity was videotaped within the orchard of their employer. The workers have petitioned¹³ to a higher court claiming not guilty although a wild boar meat chunk was found in their home fridge. The petition was rejected on May 2005.

 

Nearly 20 years ago, there was a very intensive campaign in the media (quite less developed than it is nowadays) against the picking of protected flower species. The impact and success of this campaign were so strong, that it is impossible to find an Israeli who cannot remember which flowers are protected species as well as the slogans used to bring awareness. Such intensity seems to be required in the case of wildlife conservation. Failing to report the expulsion of workers or litigations in such cases, for example, will not help deterring workers or native Israelis (also mentioned in the article) from illegal hunting and does not enhance awareness amongst the Israeli public.

 

Several issues cannot be fully covered here, such as the involvement of employers and native Israelis in such illegal activity. The general issue of foreign work in Israel, legal and illegal, is dealt with in the media on an everyday basis, due to the attempts by the country to maintain the influx of workers. This is not always done in conventional and humane methods, but it is not necessarily related to the described problem, which should be approached separately.

 

Rumors in Israel blame Thai workers for hunting domestic dogs and cats. In reality, they are much pickier in their menu. Pets and stray dogs and cats were however discovered in traps placed near agricultural villages. These unfortunate results only make large scale hunting and trapping more dangerous, even to humans.

 

I have tried to refer to the information given without prejudice or passing judgment as Thais cannot be judged for a tradition kept for centuries in their home country and many countries in its region.

 

I have found no sources on the actual tradition of eating wild animals. Reading about Thai cuisine has taught me that it is influenced by Buddhism where dishes using large animals in big chunks are not developed, and big cuts of meat are shredded and laced with herbs and spices. Traditional Thai cooking methods used to be stewing, baking or grilling. Chinese influences introduced frying to the Thai kitchen. I came to conclude that eating wild animals has three reasons: Their availability in nature, which is economic and had created a culinary tradition, and traditional medications (which might be of Chinese influence as well).

 

It is impossible to think of odd culinary habits in the Far East without mentioning the consumption of bugs as a culinary delight, it’s a good thing that their reproduction is faster and that they can be grown for consumption²⁴.

 

 

Hong Kong market, an escapee from a basket full of grasshoppers (private photo)

 

At first I thought the subject would not be interesting enough to explore, but while writing these lines, I came to know a significant problem in my home country as well many new wildlife species and potential new travel destinations…

 

Ron Carmit

Budapest, May 19^th, 2006.

 

Sources

 

1.          Yom-Tov, Yoram (2003). Poaching of Israeli wildlife by guest workers. Elseviers biological conservation 110, 11-20

2.          Professor Yoram Yom-Tov - webpage

 

Websites

 

3.          Israeli Nature and Parks Authority

4.          Bird research center in Israel

5.          China Wildlife Conservation Association

6.          WildAid

7.          Chiang Mai Night Safari

 

Online Articles and Photo sources

 

8.          The silent killer - an increase in the number of traps laid by Thai workers for catching wild animals

9.          The guide said: Do Not Eat Foxes

10.     The Thai Hunters

11.     The Golan wolf - where to?

12.     Sus Scrofa (Tel Aviv University)

13.     Thai students recruited as speakers against hunting wild animals

14.     Thai workers petitioning against their expulsion from Israel

15.     China, Thailand, Myanmar - Eating animals to extinction

16.     Chinese eating less wild animals

17.     More Chinese avoid eating wild animals

18.     China bans eating wild animals

19.     Rare animals on the menu at zoo

20.     Wild cat populations badly depleted

21.     Cat bird flu risks 'overlooked'

22.     China Tropical Lands Research

23.     Amended regulation on eating wild animals put to the question

24.     Eating bugs