An injured female common kestrel that arrived at the Israel Wildlife Hospital – which is operated by the Ramat Gan Safari and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority – was put into the rehabilitation complex near red falcon chicks whose nest was destroyed by renovations at Kibbutz Galed in northern Israel, and adopted them as her own.

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The female kestrel – a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae – was administered to the Israel Wildlife Hospital with an injured wing.

When Noa Fisher, one of the nurses at the hospital, entered the recovery ward to feed the falcon chicks, the female kestrel and the chicks stopped chirping and looked at her. Fisher, who understood something special was happening, placed a camera in one of the cages and stepped outside. When she returned to watch the video footage, she saw that the female kestrel had fed the chicks her own food.

The caretakers at the hospital, touched over the parental act, placed the older female together with the younglings.

The heart-warming "adoption" has led hospital caretakers to speculate and believe that when the chicks mature they will be able to return to nature and that now, thanks to the adoption, their chances of survival will be considerably higher due to being less reliant on humans.

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A pair of highly rare sand cats welcomed five kittens at the Ramat Gan Safari Park recently, the zoo announced Monday.

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Globally recognized as endangered, sand cats are found mostly in isolated deserts in Africa and Asia. There are only about 10,000 of them left in the wild and another 178 in zoos – 183 counting the newest edition. According to the Safari, the happy birth brings the number of Israeli sand cats to seven.

Mother Sabiyah and father Marib both came to Israel from zoos in France and Sweden, respectively. Zookeepers had hoped the romance between the two would blossom into a family, and were overjoyed to learn that Sabiyah was pregnant, the Safari said.

Giving birth to a litter of five live kittens is rare for sand cats. Caregivers were careful to keep their distance, allowing the proud feline mother to tend to her kittens in peace.

To everyone's relief, Sabiyah emerged as a fierce mother – not a given when it comes to sand cats – and after several weeks, all five kittens appeared to be strong and healthy. The Safari said all five are strolling freely outside, and have already been reunited with their father, Marib.

Male sand cats are often removed from the vicinity of newborn kittens over concerns that they may be aggressive toward the kittens and engender them. This, however, was not the case: caregivers reported that Sabiyah doesn't allow Marib to come too close to her kittens and that so far, everyone is getting along splendidly.

The Ramat Gan Safari is part of a global program to boost the species' reproduction rate. The Israeli-born kittens will eventually travel to zoos in Europe, where they will hopefully continue increasing the species' population.

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The Israeli heavy metal festival "Metal 4 Peace," the revenues of which will be donated to the victims of the war in Ukraine, will be held on Saturday, April 2, at Gagarin club TLV (Kibbutz Galuyot Rd. 13, Tel Aviv), from 11 a.m. until 1 a.m. on Sunday.

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The festival will consist of 20 local metal bands that will deliver 14 hours of live music, headlined by some of the leading bands in the Israeli metal scene.

The organizers of the event include Tomer Mussman, the founder of the Facebook/Instagram page "Metal Militia," whose goal is to promote and support the local metal scene; Vladislav Mazourenko, the lead singer of Deface, which will also perform at the festival; and long-time metal DJ Tal Nissan.

As stated, all of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the Israeli Friends of Ukraine non-profit organization. The event will also have a drop-off area for donations of medical equipment and other goods for people in need.

The cost of a ticket is NIS 80 and attendees will be welcome to add any amount they see fit and even donate without needing to purchase a ticket.

Among the bands slated to perform are:

DPS; Lehavoth, Distorted (in their first performance in 13 years); Love your witch; Drosera; Stormbound; Orpheus blade; Kids Insane; Deface; Strident; Reemot; Quazarra; Revision the Dream; Those who oppose; Zelmaveth; Andralamusia.

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The Ramat Gan Safari enjoys many visitors during Hanukkah, who come to participate in such fun activities as feeding the animals and hearing stories about the safari occupants.

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However, workers had an unpleasant incident Sunday, when one of the caretakers noticed that a male ostrich was behaving strangely. Upon approaching the bird, he saw that there was an unusually large object stuck in its throat.

Realizing that the bird was in danger, the caretaker alerted Dr. Elad Smit, a staff veterinarian, who rushed to the scene to remove the object.

Video: Chen Chaimovich

It turned out to be an apple, which was stuck in the bird's throat, obstructing its breathing.

Due to the miraculous save that coincided with the last night of Hanukkah, the safari decided to rename the bird Nissim (Hebrew for "miracles").

Safari workers said the apple was most likely given by a visitor outside a supervised feeding activity.

"Even fruits or vegetables that seem natural for the animal to eat can endanger their lives," one worker said, stressing that feeding the animals at the safari was prohibited.

"The safari has a certified animal nutritionist, and the menu is carefully examined and well maintained by dedicated caregivers," he assured.

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Blind and visually impaired visitors to the Ramat Gan Safari can enjoy a more accessible experience, thanks to the Right Hear application.

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In addition to supplying zoological information about the species at the safari, as well as unique stories about the specific animals housed in its 64 enclosures, the Right Hear system helps the blind and visually impaired navigate the park.

One such visitor, Hezi Eliyahu, said, "This brings me full circle. For years, while I was still a young father, I had to look for friends, acquaintances, or family members who would come with me on visits to the safari. This week, I experienced a correction – I walked along the paths independently, knowing exactly which enclosure I was next to and what direction I needed to go in, without needing directions from anyone.

"All the instructions and information surrounded me through the smartphone's speaker. The accessibility includes information about the animals, so a blind person can definitely describe them to their kids and share with them," he said.

"The fact that now I can walk around the safari alone or with my family, and even lead them, and not forgo a family outing, is a really moving, joyous moment for me," Eliyahu added.

Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama Hacohen said that the safari's new system was the city's way of "making the safari accessible to people who in the past probably avoided visiting for fear they couldn't enjoy it like everyone else."

Now, Hacohen said, "Blind and visually impaired visitors can feel like they're part of the atmosphere … No less important is the message to the hundreds of thousands of children who visit the safari each year, who will be exposed to our municipal sensitivity to accessibility for everyone and people with special needs in particular."

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The Avenged Sevenfold heavy metal band is returning to Israel and will perform a show in Rishon Lezion on June 26.

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The band performed in Israel four years ago. This time, the show is part of a limited seven-event European tour in honor of a new album launch. It is slated to be released in the summer of 22, but songs from it will already be played during the show.

The band has an extensive Israeli fan base with over 10,000 members.

Formed in 1999 in California, the band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Zacky Vengeance, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Synyster Gates, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny Christ, and drummer Brooks Wackerman.

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Elsa Barak is no ordinary Israeli teen, rather she's on a mission: to help save sea turtles.

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Barak – whose parents, Dorian and Daphna, made aliyah from the United States and France (respectively) – celebrated her bat mitzvah about two years ago, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. But rather than spend the money she received as birthday presents, she decided to dedicate it, as well as her time and effort, to saving sea turtles.

Video: Gil Kremer

The origin of sea turtles dates back to the Late Jurassic era – some 150 million years ago – and they can be found in all oceans except for the polar regions.

There are currently seven species of sea turtles and they play a key role in ocean ecosystems by maintaining healthy seagrass beds and coral reefs, providing key habitats for other marine life, helping to balance marine food webs, and facilitating nutrient cycling from water to land.

Soon enough, Barak's entire family enlisted in the effort to save sea turtles, participating in activities such as cleaning beaches, frequent visits to the Nature and Parks Authority's National Sea Turtle Rescue Center, and setting up a donation website and a crowdfunding campaign. The Israel Nature and Heritage Foundation of America also contributed to these efforts.

Last August a wounded loggerhead sea turtle arrived at the STRC, having been caught on a fishing hook. The fisherman reported the incident to the NPA, which allowed the giant reptile to receive immediate medical attention, including surgery to remove the hook lodged in its esophagus.

Barak followed the case closely, and after several months of rehabilitation at the STRC, the tortoise was declared fit to once again roam the ocean.

Over the weekend, the sea turtle – now dubbed "Elsa" – was successfully released back to the ocean, with NPA and STRC staff, as well as the Barak family and a host of their friends there to see it off.

Prior to taking the plunge, tortoise Elsa was fitted with a special satellite transmitter on its armor, to provide information on the movements of the sea turtle population in the area.

The money donated by Barak and her family funded the cost of the GPS transmitter – a device that runs upwards of 6,000 shekels ($2,000).

The International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species classifies three species of sea turtle as either "endangered" or "critically endangered," with an additional three species classified as "vulnerable."

All species of sea turtle are listed in CITES Appendix I, restricting international trade of sea turtles and sea turtle products in an effort to stabilize their population.

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

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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."

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Sukkot is one of the most beloved holidays in Israel and at the Ramat Gan Safari, no one misses out on the holiday fun, not even the animals.

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Safari caretakers have built special sukkahs for the animals in honor of the celebrations. The fat sand rat received a sukkah with a roof made of saltbushes, a treat it loves. The tapirs' and porcupines' sukkahs have also been decorated with edible treats.

Video: Ramat Gan Safari

In addition to marking the holidays, the decorations and treats bring excitement into the animals' lives and help them stay active as they roam around the structure to find their treats, sharpening their senses and instincts.

Visitors at the safari will have plenty of activities to enjoy in addition to observing animals eating, socializing, being active or resting as they do in their natural habitats. In addition, there are guided tours and animal feeding sessions on offer. The Safari is home to some 1,600 animals from all over the world and is home to African and Asian elephants, giraffes, orangutans, Sumatran tigers, gorillas and more.

Make sure to visit the safari's "Magical creatures of Mozambique" exhibition, with includes eight gigantic pop-up books, open for one more week.

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Israel's National Infrastructure Committee has decided to save the Ayalon Cave from development, preserving not only the third-largest limestone cave in the country, but also saving a few species found nowhere else on earth from extinction.

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Plans had been submitted to the committee for a project to divert rainwater from the Ayalon Creek into the cave, which would have wrecked its ecosystem.

The Ayalon Cave was discovered during work at the Nesher-Ramle quarry in 2006. The first researchers from the Israel Cave Research Center who spelunked in were astonished to discover its dimensions (the cave extends for some 2,700 meters, or 8,900 feet); the delicate ecosystem inside it, and the lifeforms that exist in the cave completely independent of the outside world.

Thus far, scientists have discovered eight species in the cave that were previously unknown – four aquatic crustacean species and four species of terrestrial crustaceans and springtails. All the species unique to the cave are eyeless.

The cave is not open to the general public, and only a handful of researchers have been given permits to enter it.

The NIC issued a statement explaining that after the plans to divert rainwater runoff to the cave had been presented to the public, responses had flooded in about the damage it would do to the ecosystem at the bottom of the cave.

According to the NIC, numerous researchers from Israel and abroad had pleaded the case to the NIC, prompting the committee to give Netivei Israel-National Transport Infrastructure Company, the author of the plan, six months to suggest a different destination for rainwater runoff.

Cave researcher and geologist Professor Amos Frumkin welcomed the decision "to prevent harm to the Ayalon Cave and its unique ecosystem."

"We hope that environmental considerations will continue to guide government and public authorities in Israel and lead to a higher-quality world for us to leave to future generations. We thank everyone who took part in the fight and the public who supported it," Frumkin said.

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