A zookeeper was moderately injured Sunday while tending to a crocodile at the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem. The event unfolded during what should have been a routine animal care procedure at the renowned facility.

Emergency responders promptly treated the injured worker, a man in his forties, on-site before transporting him to the Hadassah Medical Center. Upon arrival at the hospital, he bore visible bite marks on his body but was fully conscious.

While this recent incident highlights the inherent risks of animal care, the Biblical Zoo has long played a vital role in both public education and global conservation efforts. Last year, the zoo celebrated a joyous occasion with the birth of a baby South African giraffe named Eli, marking a significant addition to its diverse animal family.

In 2022, the zoo partnered with the Athens Zoo to bring a two-year-old Sumatran tigress from Jakarta to Jerusalem. The initiative aimed to bolster conservation efforts for the endangered Sumatran tiger species, with plans to introduce a male tiger for breeding purposes.

Also in 2022, visitors to the Biblical Zoo were charmed by an endearing sight after a rare Jerusalem winter storm. The zoo's red pandas, Yin and Yang, delighted onlookers as they frolicked in the snow, showcasing the adaptability of the zoo's diverse inhabitants to unusual weather conditions.

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Miniature flutes crafted 12,000 years ago from bird bones and discovered in northern Israel may have been used for bird calls at a time when humans were refining their interactions with animals, a team of scientists said.

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Seven small wing bones uncovered at a dig site in the Hula Valley – a popular bird watching spot to this day – were identified to have tiny holes bored into the bones for finger placement and as a mouthpiece.

Video: Reuters

The research team made replicas of the fragile originals, which they found emitted high-pitched trills resembling the calls of birds of prey.

One theory is that the flutes were used attract the birds of prey – namely the Eurasian Sparrowhawk and the Common Kestrel – to frighten waterfowl, making them easier to catch.

The findings were published in the journal Nature Scientific Report by researchers from Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Centre de Recherche Français à Jérusalem, the Centre nationale de recherche scientifique, and the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Over 500 million birds pass through the Hula Valley each year as they migrate between Europe and Africa, making it a popular destination for bird watchers.

The flute bones, which came from Eurasian coots and Eurasian teals, were found in the Eynan/Ain Mallaha dig site linked to hunter-gatherers from the final Natufian period 12,000 years ago.

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That was a period when our ancestors were beginning to settle down, farm and domesticate animals, said forensic anthropologist Tal Simmons of Virginia Commonwealth University, who identified the type of birds.

The use of flutes to communicate with the birds, Simmons said, was "really cementing that transition to a time when the relationship between humans and animals began to change".

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The Mediterranean monk seal who has become a celebrity in Israel over the past few weeks has been spotted again – this time at a closed military section of a beach in the central city of Rishon Lezion.

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Affectionately named "Yulia," the endangered mammal "looked healthy and is in good shape," the Nature and Parks Authority posted to social media.

The authority said that she was found during a Monday morning scan for sea turtle nests at Firing Range 24, a beach belonging to the Defense Ministry that is used for artillery and explosive material.

Yulia has been spotted several times beaching herself in different coastal areas of Israel since she caused a stir earlier this month while basking on a Tel Aviv beach.

Mediterranean monk seals are considered an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with as few as 350 mature seals estimated to exist in the wild. Their population has been devastated by seal hunting, fishing and habitat destruction.

The Nature and Parks Authority, which tracks Yulia's movements, said that on Sunday night she was spotted in Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv, but went back to sea after people approached her.

"Please keep your distance and allow her to come up safely to rest on the beach," the authority urged the public.

 Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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Sea urchins in Israel's Gulf of Eilat have been dying off at an alarming rate, researchers announced Wednesday – a development that threatens the Red Sea's prized coral reef ecosystems.

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According to Tel Aviv University scientists, an unknown pathogen is killing off the black sea urchin, Diadema setosum. The massive die-off was first observed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea in July and gradually spread. It was observed in the northern Gulf of Eilat in January, and researchers have since seen it spread south to the neighboring Red Sea, the scientists said.

The black sea urchin is critical to maintaining a healthy reef habitat. Without them, algae grow unchecked, choking off corals and compromising the delicate balance of the reef ecosystem.

A paper outlining the findings was published Wednesday in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

"It's a fast and violent death: within just two days a healthy sea urchin becomes a skeleton with massive tissue loss," said Omri Bronstein, a marine biologist at Tel Aviv University and lead author on a series of papers on the sea urchin deaths.

He added that they have ruled out localized poisoning or pollution, and instead suspect a "rapidly spreading epidemic" caused by an as-yet-unidentified pathogen.

Last month, researchers in the United States identified a single-celled parasite responsible for a similar mass die-off of sea urchins in the Caribbean that has laid waste to reef ecosystems.

The Israeli researchers believe a similar pathogen might also be responsible for killing sea urchins in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, and have called for urgent action by the Nature and Park Authority to protect Israel's already endangered reef ecosystems.

"This new outbreak of disease is a grave concern," said Ian Hewson, a professor at Cornell University's Marine Mass Mortality Lab who was not involved in the Tel Aviv University study.

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He added that it "would be interesting to know if the same agent is at work" in the Mediterranean as has been identified killing sea urchins in the Caribbean. "If that is the case it will raise questions about how it is vectored between such geographically separated sites."

The Gulf of Eilat, a branch of the Red Sea shared by Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, is home to exquisite coral reefs that scientists believe might be more resilient to warming waters resulting from human-caused climate change.

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A two-year-old Sumatran tigress named Jakarta has recently been transferred from the Athens Zoo to the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo as part of an international endangered species conservation program.

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Unfortunately, due to loss of habitat and illegal hunting and trade, the species is listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List. The wild population is estimated at fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers.

Jakarta will soon be joined by a male tiger for the purposes of species conservation.

Nili Avni Magen, the chief veterinarian of the zoo, said, "The Sumatran tiger was brought to the park as part of a nature conservation program that allows the zoo to contribute to the preservation of rare species. The future of endangered species is not guaranteed and they could become extinct faster than one might think.

"The cooperation between the zoos, on a regional, continental and even global scale, is the basis for the success of population management programs," Magen said, stressing the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo's steadfast commitment to nature conservation.

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For the first time in 11 years, the Ramat Gan Safari Park just outside Tel Aviv saw the birth of an orangutan earlier this month. 

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The news broke only this week because the infant was hidden by her furry mother for several weeks by hugging it closely. But in recent days, the mother Tanna, let workers get a glimpse of her infant, confirming the almost-historic development. 

The proud father, called by the staff Rachamim (mercy in Hebrew) was incidentally the last living orangutan in the safari to have been born on its premises until the birth this month. His mother, named Rochaleh, died when he was 7 years old. 

Watch the following footage of the newbie at the safari. 

Video: Yam Siton

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Gazelle Valley in Jerusalem welcomed a new fawn on Tuesday morning.

The park, the biggest urban nature site in Israel, is 64-acres of open space in the heart of Jerusalem, on the edge of the Givat Mordechai neighborhood, and is home to some 80 members of the mountain gazelle species. It is a publicly run site with no entry fees, belongs to the Jerusalem municipality and is managed by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.

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Amir Balaban, the director of SPN's Urban Nature Department, said a woman who visited the park in the early morning hours on Tuesday, noticed the tiny fawn on the side of one of the paths. Within minutes, park volunteers arrived at the spot to make sure the baby gazelle was in good health.

Video: Amir Balaban / Israel Nature and Parks Authority

"We waited at a safe distance to make sure no harm would come to [the fawn]. The concern is from the hooded crows, which can exploit any opportunity. The mother was spotted a short distance away and the team waited for her to nurse," Balaban said.

According to Yael Hammerman-Solar, the park's director, other gazelles in the valley are also pregnant.

"Similar to Israeli society, Gazelle Valley is also renewing and refreshing. The herd has grown significantly and we expect more births in the coming weeks. Every birth of a new fawn is joyous from many perspectives and mainly gives hope that the nature in Israel can still be saved," she said.

"Sadly, gazelles are endangered in Israel, with the main threat being the destruction of habitats due to the construction of roads and infrastructure that sever their living areas and isolate them from their own species, in addition to illegal hunting and the multiplicity of stray dogs and jackals that prey on the fawns – which is also the result of human behavior and the large quantities of food thrown away in an unsupervised manner that allows them to reproduce beyond their natural scope," added Hammerman-Solar.

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Residents of Eilat and the Arava have woken up for the past few mornings to enormous swarms of locusts in their gardens, fields, and wild spaces.

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Farmers on Kibbutz Samar and Kibbutz Elipaz are worried about their crops, although residents of Residents of Moshav Hatzeva managed to catch some of the locusts using net traps set up in their fields.

In Eilat, the swarm settled in at an agricultural school near the bay, although individual locusts were spotted throughout the city.

However, people's pests can be a bonus for wildlife. Amir Balaban, who handles the urban nature depart at the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, said that hundreds of bee-eaters had been spotted at Kibbutz Lotan on their way north from Africa to Europe.

"They fly over fences and fill their beaks with the locusts landing in the area," he said.

Balaban called the locust event a "festival of protein" for Israel's wildlife. "Much like the … a lot of migratory birds feed off the locusts on their way north."

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Images of sea turtles and other creatures covered in tar may be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to damage caused by an oil spill off Israel's Mediterranean coast two weeks ago.

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"The amount of tar is just incredible, and almost all of Israel's coastline is covered in tar," Dr. Ruth Yahel, a marine ecologist for the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, said. "We haven't seen this extent of pollution in our region. It could take decades to rehabilitate and get rid of this pollution, and that also includes all of sandy and rocky habitats."

Wildlife immediately impacted by the spill include snails, seaweed, sea turtles, clams, and crabs, but as Yahel pointed out, "we'll only be able to begin to see the long-term damage in a few months."

She explained that "one of the concerns is over poisoning that will result in the entry of the pollution into the ecosystem and then the damage will be systemic, meaning the harm could be to fish, dolphins, sharks, and large turtles."

At the same time, creatures suffering from multiple injuries were brought to the Israeli Wildlife Hospital in Ramat Gan and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority hospitals.

According to the experts, it's still too soon to say whether it's safe to bathe in the Mediterranean Sea. However, as we approach spring and summer, and the temperatures rise, beachgoers will be more likely to inhale dangerous toxins from the tar, making such an outing more dangerous to our health.

Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a beach in the southern city of Ashdod.

Netanyahu said Gamliel would present the government with a plan and budget for cleaning up Israel's beaches. "I am very impressed by the work of the Environmental Protection Ministry, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, and citizens," he said.

Gamliel said, "To overcome the battle, we need to raise tens of millions of shekels to go toward cleaning the beaches. We have the option of suing the insurance company of the ship responsible for the pollution, and we will do everything we can to locate it."

Thousands of volunteers took part in a cleanup operation of the Israeli shoreline, Saturday, following an oil spill that has been called the country's worst natural disaster in decades.

Israeli media reported that several volunteers were hospitalized after inhaling fumes. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority urged people to stay away from the beach at 16 of the most polluted sites.

Meanwhile, residents of Eilat joined with environmental activists in the southern resort city, Sunday, to protest a planned pipeline between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. At the demonstration, held while Netanyahu was visiting Eilat, protesters said the pipeline could result in an oil spill that forces the southern resort city to contend with the kind of damage Israel is now contending with on its Mediterranean shores.

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Video taken at Betset Beach shows one large and one small whale, apparently a mother and her calf. The two were swimming south.  

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This is the first confirmed sighting of sperm whales in Israeli territorial waters since the Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center began its research in 1993, and has caused great excitement among marine biologists in Israel and abroad.

Video: Roy Vertzki, Shlomi Marco, Search Results Web results Dana Renninger

February of this year saw another rare visit to Israeli waters when a killer whale was caught on video off the northern coast, between Acre and Nahariya. That whale, identified as a male named Riptide, arrived from the direction of Iceland and at some point became separated from its pod.

Riptide has previously been seen off the coasts of Naples and Beirut. 

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