How long will the 'murders' last? Eagles, other birds of prey poisoned to death in the Negev

An incident of poisoning led to the deaths of eight eagles, two ravens, a crow, and a deer, all found south of the Ein Avdat National Park in the Negev. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority announced an operation to locate other poisoned eagles and animals, with the authority’s inspectors still scanning the area in question. 

Three dead eagles were already identified in the A50 eagle nesting area in Nahal Akab, the E32 eagle nesting area in Ein Avdat, and the eagle nesting area A25. Additionally, two vultures were found. The Authority will carry out a rescue procedure to the nesting sites in order to save the chicks.

The Environment Protection Ministry announced an immediate allocation of NIS 15 million to deal with the issue.

Not the first incident of poisoning 

In early March, an eagle and its chick were found dead after being poisoned in the Negev, near Nahal Akab.

The head of the Authority said that "the plan to reduce poisonings must be implemented quickly."

"The incident this morning is every serious, and is a direct continuation of the chain of poisonings, which led the Authority to formulate a plan approved by the Cleanup Fund, with the aim of reducing the poisonings together with the Ministry of Environmental Protection," said Raya Shurki, Director General of the Nature and Parks Authority.

"The eagle population is in serious danger of extinction, and it obliges all of us to quickly implement the plan to reduce poisonings. I thank the Environmental Protection Ministry for passing a budget to deal with this issue immediately."

The Authority added that the eagles carried transmitters on their backs, and without such transmitters, there would be no knowledge at all about the poisoning.

The Eurasian griffon vulture is in serious danger of extinction, with the existing population in Israel less than 190 individuals, with every animal lost presenting a fatal blow to the efforts to restore the local population.

The Authority will open an investigation to find out the circumstances of the poisoning. The scans will resume early on Monday.

Response from the Society for the Protection of Nature

"Unfortunately, this evening we were informed of another major poisoning incident in the south of the country. This incident joins the series of poisoning incidents that endanger the continued existence of our country's great raptors, chief among them eagles and vultures. This poisoning is even more serious because it occurs at the height of the nesting season. The slaughter of adults is a death sentence for the chicks and eggs in the nest, and destroys the next generation."

The organization added: "The Environmental Protection Ministry should immediately provide budgets for the issue, and approve a long-term plan with the resources required to deal with the sanitation issue, in order to ensure that such incidents do not occur again. In addition, it is time to amend the legislation on the subject so that the legal system will be able to deal with the criminals responsible for the poisonings. Such legislation was on the table in the past, but due to internal government struggles and objections in the Justice Ministry and the Agriculture Ministry, the legislation was uprooted from its content and in the end was not passed. We have no more time to waste and therefore effective legislation is required to prevent poisonings."