Student assignment. (requirement for course by Peter Kabai)

Hunting in Israel

Heli Alalouf

Since the beginning of history, humans have animals in order to eat their meat and dress in their fur. Since the domestication of animals, hunting has also served to prevent the crossbreeding of wild and domesticated species, and to protect the latter from predators. Beyond hunting for their material needs, humans have hunted and continue to hunt today for the pleasure of the hunt and to win respect and honor by it.

Species which have become extinct in Israel due to hunting:

Organized hunting of wild animals in Israel began during the Calculithic period some 6000 years ago: even then, stone traps were set for leopards and caraculs, and "kites" facilities for the trapping of large vegetarian animals - were set up. With the introduction of live ammunition into the Middle East, at the beginning of the 20^th century, hunting increased. Europeans who visited or lived in the Land of Israel, brought a tradition of hunting, as well as modern rifles, with them. The Mandatory Law for the Protection of Wildlife, passed in 1924, was not appropriate for the wildlife of that period and was not enforced. Thus several species disappeared from Israel, particularly large predators and some of the larger birds and reptiles.

The Fallow-deer (Dama dama mesopotamica) a deer with branched antlers whose name originates from the reddish clay color of its fur, was seen on Mount Tabor in the 18^th century, and in the Upper Galilee at the end of the 19^th century. In Jordan the last fallow- deer was hunted down in 1922. The fallow-deer, which had become extinct at the end of the 19^th or beginning of the 20^th century, was returned to the Upper Galilee in 1996.

The Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus) is a small deer, well adjusted to life in bushy areas. The last roe deer seen in Israel was hunted down on the Carmel in 1912. In the mid-90's an attempt was made to return the roe deer to its natural surroundings, and several individual deer were released in the Southern Carmel area by the Nature Reserve and National Park Authority. Since then there has been some reproduction of these deer in nature, but they are still relatively few.

It is not clear when the last White Buffalo (Oryx leucoryx) were hunted in the Negev, but the Bedouins hunted buffalo for food during the First World War in an area now on the border of Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Buffalo were observed in that area till the 1930's.

The hunting of large predators is an accepted "sport" among royalty and nobility- During the Roman period hunting games were arranged for gladiators, in which predators were collected for hunting from all over the Middle East. The larger predators, whose reproduction is relatively slow, could not keep up with this and were destroyed.

The lion (Panthera leo) was the first of the large predators to face extinction, apparently already during the Crusades (13^th century). The lion was common in the country during Biblical times. It lives in an open landscape, needs drinking water and may prey upon all domesticated animals as well as humans. These characteristics apparently were the cause of its extinction, the first of the large predators to disappear from this area.

The Bear (Ursus arctos syriacus) and the cheetah succeeded in surviving till the beginning of the 20^th century. The bear was apparently common and well-known in Biblical times. The last of the bears were hunted on Mount Hermon in 1917 and in the Mountains of Lebanon during World War I.

The Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) has been hunted for its skin, ands its cubs hunted and trained for hunting deer. A cheetah which was hunted in the Northeastern Dead Sea area around 1910 can be found in a collection in Jerusalem. In Jordan the last cheetah was shot in 1962, some 60 km east of Aqaba, and its cub was raised in captivity. The last, rather doubtful sighting of a cheetah in Israel was in 1959: a truck driver from Yotvata saw a strange animal (which he identified as a cheetah according to a book on mammals), crossing the Arava road. Since then cheetahs have not been seen in the country. They are extinct in Israel.

Species that were hunted because of a conflict with farmers:

The Wolf (Canis lupus) has been persecuted by farmers for thousands of years, as it preys on domesticated animals: calves, goats, sheep and poultry. The wolf succeeded in getting through the "early 20^th century hurdle" as its diet is varied. It is a gregarious predator with a high capacity for learning, and when there is enough food, it has a high rate of reproduction. There are an estimated 200 wolves in Israel in natural surroundings: in the Arava plain, the Negev, the Judean Desert and the Golan Heights. The wolf has survived in the Golan Heights despite serious conflict with cattle raisers who raise steers for beef. The wolves are attracted to the scent of placenta in calving cows, and they then prey on the newborn calves or harm the cow. The cattle raisers have tried to reduce the wolf population by controlled shooting, or in extreme cases by laying out poisoned bait. Better protection, with large dogs and fences, and adequate compensation, would reduce the conflict and allow for the wolves to live in the Golan Heights.

The Israeli gazelle (Gazella gazella) is a symbol of beauty and nobility. The Israeli gazelle and the Negev gazelle (Gazella dorcas) were hunted mercilessly till the 1950's, and according to Mendelson's estimate, when the State of Israel was established, there were only about 500 Israeli gazelles and less than 300 Negev gazelles. With the passing of the Law for the Protection of Wildlife in 1954, the gazelle population began to increase again, and today there are some 1000 Negev gazelles and several thousand Israeli gazelles in the country. This high rate of reproduction is partly due to the fact that some of the gazelles feed on agricultural crops, richer in water and protein than natural flora. Their high density exposes the gazelles to diseases, and indeed, in 1985 many gazelles died from "hoof and mouth" disease. The gazelle herds competed with cattle for natural pasture, and the male gazelles did damage to saplings by rubbing their horns against them. The farmers demanded that the gazelles be fenced in on "gazelle reserves" and all those left in the open areas of the Golan destroyed. With considerable misgivings the Nature Preservation Authority decided to reduce the gazelle population by controlled hunting. Since 1985 1000-2000 gazelles have been hunted annually. Despite this, the gazelle population of the Golan was about 4000 individuals till 1993. Since then, the population has begun to decrease, although the hunting was discontinued. Today there are only about 1000 surviving gazelles in the Golan Heights, and there is some fear that this population will continue to decrease.

Bibliography:

# www.cordobadoves.com\photos.html

# www.geocities.com\wolf75ca\index.html

# www.gamela.golan.org.il

# www.lib.cet.ac.il\pages\item

#Namung- www.unep-wcmc.org

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Student essays		Kabai Péter, peter.kabai+essay_ #_gmail.com (_#_= superdot)
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Hunting in Israel Heli Alalouf Since the beginning of history, humans have animals in order to eat their meat and dress in their fur. Since the domestication of animals, hunting has also served to prevent the crossbreeding of wild and domesticated species, and to protect the latter from predators. Beyond hunting for their material needs, humans have hunted and continue to hunt today for the pleasure of the hunt and to win respect and honor by it. Species which have become extinct in Israel due to hunting: Organized hunting of wild animals in Israel began during the Calculithic period some 6000 years ago: even then, stone traps were set for leopards and caraculs, and "kites" facilities for the trapping of large vegetarian animals - were set up. With the introduction of live ammunition into the Middle East, at the beginning of the 20^th century, hunting increased. Europeans who visited or lived in the Land of Israel, brought a tradition of hunting, as well as modern rifles, with them. The Mandatory Law for the Protection of Wildlife, passed in 1924, was not appropriate for the wildlife of that period and was not enforced. Thus several species disappeared from Israel, particularly large predators and some of the larger birds and reptiles. The Fallow-deer (Dama dama mesopotamica) a deer with branched antlers whose name originates from the reddish clay color of its fur, was seen on Mount Tabor in the 18^th century, and in the Upper Galilee at the end of the 19^th century. In Jordan the last fallow- deer was hunted down in 1922. The fallow-deer, which had become extinct at the end of the 19^th or beginning of the 20^th century, was returned to the Upper Galilee in 1996. The Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus) is a small deer, well adjusted to life in bushy areas. The last roe deer seen in Israel was hunted down on the Carmel in 1912. In the mid-90's an attempt was made to return the roe deer to its natural surroundings, and several individual deer were released in the Southern Carmel area by the Nature Reserve and National Park Authority. Since then there has been some reproduction of these deer in nature, but they are still relatively few. It is not clear when the last White Buffalo (Oryx leucoryx) were hunted in the Negev, but the Bedouins hunted buffalo for food during the First World War in an area now on the border of Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Buffalo were observed in that area till the 1930's. The hunting of large predators is an accepted "sport" among royalty and nobility- During the Roman period hunting games were arranged for gladiators, in which predators were collected for hunting from all over the Middle East. The larger predators, whose reproduction is relatively slow, could not keep up with this and were destroyed. The lion (Panthera leo) was the first of the large predators to face extinction, apparently already during the Crusades (13^th century). The lion was common in the country during Biblical times. It lives in an open landscape, needs drinking water and may prey upon all domesticated animals as well as humans. These characteristics apparently were the cause of its extinction, the first of the large predators to disappear from this area. The Bear (Ursus arctos syriacus) and the cheetah succeeded in surviving till the beginning of the 20^th century. The bear was apparently common and well-known in Biblical times. The last of the bears were hunted on Mount Hermon in 1917 and in the Mountains of Lebanon during World War I. The Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) has been hunted for its skin, ands its cubs hunted and trained for hunting deer. A cheetah which was hunted in the Northeastern Dead Sea area around 1910 can be found in a collection in Jerusalem. In Jordan the last cheetah was shot in 1962, some 60 km east of Aqaba, and its cub was raised in captivity. The last, rather doubtful sighting of a cheetah in Israel was in 1959: a truck driver from Yotvata saw a strange animal (which he identified as a cheetah according to a book on mammals), crossing the Arava road. Since then cheetahs have not been seen in the country. They are extinct in Israel. Species that were hunted because of a conflict with farmers: The Wolf (Canis lupus) has been persecuted by farmers for thousands of years, as it preys on domesticated animals: calves, goats, sheep and poultry. The wolf succeeded in getting through the "early 20^th century hurdle" as its diet is varied. It is a gregarious predator with a high capacity for learning, and when there is enough food, it has a high rate of reproduction. There are an estimated 200 wolves in Israel in natural surroundings: in the Arava plain, the Negev, the Judean Desert and the Golan Heights. The wolf has survived in the Golan Heights despite serious conflict with cattle raisers who raise steers for beef. The wolves are attracted to the scent of placenta in calving cows, and they then prey on the newborn calves or harm the cow. The cattle raisers have tried to reduce the wolf population by controlled shooting, or in extreme cases by laying out poisoned bait. Better protection, with large dogs and fences, and adequate compensation, would reduce the conflict and allow for the wolves to live in the Golan Heights. The Israeli gazelle (Gazella gazella) is a symbol of beauty and nobility. The Israeli gazelle and the Negev gazelle (Gazella dorcas) were hunted mercilessly till the 1950's, and according to Mendelson's estimate, when the State of Israel was established, there were only about 500 Israeli gazelles and less than 300 Negev gazelles. With the passing of the Law for the Protection of Wildlife in 1954, the gazelle population began to increase again, and today there are some 1000 Negev gazelles and several thousand Israeli gazelles in the country. This high rate of reproduction is partly due to the fact that some of the gazelles feed on agricultural crops, richer in water and protein than natural flora. Their high density exposes the gazelles to diseases, and indeed, in 1985 many gazelles died from "hoof and mouth" disease. The gazelle herds competed with cattle for natural pasture, and the male gazelles did damage to saplings by rubbing their horns against them. The farmers demanded that the gazelles be fenced in on "gazelle reserves" and all those left in the open areas of the Golan destroyed. With considerable misgivings the Nature Preservation Authority decided to reduce the gazelle population by controlled hunting. Since 1985 1000-2000 gazelles have been hunted annually. Despite this, the gazelle population of the Golan was about 4000 individuals till 1993. Since then, the population has begun to decrease, although the hunting was discontinued. Today there are only about 1000 surviving gazelles in the Golan Heights, and there is some fear that this population will continue to decrease. Bibliography: # www.cordobadoves.com\photos.html # www.geocities.com\wolf75ca\index.html # www.gamela.golan.org.il # www.lib.cet.ac.il\pages\item #Namung- www.unep-wcmc.org

Notes (if any) by Peter Kabai:
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