A massive whale shark stretching nearly 20 feet in length was spotted last week gliding through the waters of Eilat's coral reserve.

Local driving instructor Sagi David Kabra, who captured the sighting, said, "I was leading a freediving session in the coral reserve when I suddenly spotted the whale shark. It was an incredibly moving experience. Over the past five years, I've been fortunate to have many such encounters in the gulf, but it had been about six months since my last sighting. I'd been eagerly waiting to see one again. This magical moment lasted about three and a half minutes."

During one such sighting, Cabra saw the adult whale shark accompanied by two precious baby sharks.

Video: The whale shark accompanied by two baby sharks / Credit: Sagi David Kabra, Freedive Eilat

According to Cabra, these massive fish often venture close to the shore in search of food, which is why he cautioned to "let them move freely and avoid touching them. There's also a strict prohibition against harming them with any watercraft."

As the largest fish in the world, the whale shark cuts an impressive figure but poses no threat to humans. In Israel, these gentle giants are protected species, reflecting their global status as endangered. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed them in its Red List of threatened species. To put their size into perspective, the largest accurately measured whale shark was a staggering 41.5 feet long and tipped the scales at over 47,400 pounds.

Despite their enormous size, many divers are drawn to these peaceful creatures, often swimming alongside them and even hitching short rides. Whale sharks have been spotted in various locations worldwide, including the Red Sea. However, their population is facing a worrying decline due to both commercial and recreational hunting practices.

The whale shark's story in modern science began in April 1828 when it was first identified off the coast of South Africa. Its name is a nod to both its impressive size and its unique feeding technique – filtering tiny organisms from the water, much like the largest mammals of the sea, whales.

The post WATCH: Endangered whale shark spotted off Eilat coast appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

A man was caught harassing an endangered sea turtle in a disturbing incident in the southern resort city of Eilat last week.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter 

Omri Omsi, an inspector at the Nature and Parks Authority in Eilat, said: "Last week, we received a report of an encounter between a man and a large green sea turtle, in which the man chose to hold on to the turtle and ride it. The video was captured by citizens who watched the difficult scene of animal abuse underwater." He said, "Thanks to the documentation of the incident in real-time, we were able to arrest the citizen and interrogate them."

Omsi explained: "When we encounter rare animals, we enjoy the proximity to them and watching them, but we must not make contact, ride them, or get in their way. The Nature and Parks Authority has made great efforts to protect the protected turtles at the National Sea Turtle Rescue Center in Michmoret. We track them and document them, and we're really happy to see the public enjoy them.

"It's important the public assist us in maintaining the natural values we get to see in the sea, just as the two citizens who contacted us did. If you find an injured animal or an animal in distress, report it to the Nature and Parks Authority hotline at *3639."

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Caught on camera: Man tries to ride endangered sea turtle in Eilat appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Mazal tov! A clutch of 46 loggerhead sea turtles hatched Thursday at the Rosh Hanikra nature preserve on Israel's northern coast.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

The hatching was overseen by volunteers form the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and ranger Manor Guri, who made sure the baby turtles reached the sea safely.

Video: Manor Guri / INPA

Thursday's hatching marked the end of the mating season, which began in May. Pregnant female sea turtles leave the sea at night and lay groups of 70-140 eggs, which they bury. It takes about two months for the babies to hatch.

Researchers have learned that artificial light from seaside event venues, restaurants, and the promenade can confuse the hatchlings and cause them to crawl away from, rather than toward, the sea.

Loggerhead sea turtles, common on Israel's coast, are endangered. Hatchlings weigh 15-40 grams (half an ounce to 1.5 ounces), while adults weigh an average 90 kg. (198 pounds). Most loggerhead turtles live over 30 years, and some can live as long as 50.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post WATCH: Baby sea turtles hatch at Rosh Hanikra appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The hatchling, one of 60 to be released into the wild this week, is part of a unique conservation program run by the Israeli Sea Turtle Rescue Center.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Green turtles are endangered worldwide, the World Wildlife Fund says. Among other hazards, they are threatened by hunting, human encroachment on the beaches where they nest, and pollution of their feeding grounds offshore.

According to the Israeli rescue center, only about 20 female green turtles nest along the Israeli Mediterranean coast during a breeding season that usually lasts from May until August.

To help the turtle population, Israeli nature authorities have declared some beaches nature reserves and with the rescue center have been relocating threatened turtle nests to safe hatcheries since the 1980s.

In 2002, the rescue center went a step further and began recruiting turtles for a special breeding stock that would one day help populate the sea with their offspring, in one of the world's only such conservation programs.

The mating squad began to reach sexual maturity a few years ago and this year managed to breed, said the center's manager, Yaniv Levi. About 200 baby turtles are expected to hatch by the end of the breeding season.

"We're only at the beginning, it's the first year, and we expect that in the coming years we will be able to spawn 1,000 hatchlings a year," Levi said.

Roderic Mast, the president of the Oceanic Society and co-chair of the IUCN-SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group, said that releasing the hatchlings to the sea immediately was critical to their chances of survival.

"In terms of conservation, nothing is more important than the protection of turtles and their habitats and behaviours in the wild," Mast said in an email interview.

The post Endangered turtles bred in captivity in Israel to help save species appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.