Four mountain goats were found on Ein Akev Street in Mitzpe Ramon on Saturday, three of them dead and one in critical condition. Investigators found cat food scattered on the ground at the site, but no evidence of poisoning.
Yedidya Shmuel, an inspector for Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority, reported Sunday morning: “Last night we received a report from the residents of Mitzpe Ramon in the WhatsApp group ‘Observers guarding mountain goats’ about 3 dead mountain goats (two males and a female) and another mountain goat that was in critical condition on Ein Akev Street in Mitzpe Ramon.
“Searches were carried out in the area by inspectors from the Nature and Parks Authority with the help of a sniffer dog and local residents. At this point, no suspicious findings of poisoning have been found. We will continue to investigate the circumstances of the deaths. The mountain goat that was transferred in critical condition to the Wildlife Hospital of the Nature and Parks Authority and the safari in an attempt to save its life died after several hours. The searches will continue this morning.”
Nature & Parks Authority Veterinarian Ronnie King reported: “The mountain goats were taken to the autopsy lab at the Beit Dagan Veterinary Institute to examine the circumstances of their deaths. Among other things, the findings are being tested for toxins, as well as diseases that can cause mortality. The assessment at this stage is that this was poisoning from an unknown source and we hope we can locate the cause. The goal in locating the poison in the area is to stop animals’ exposure to the source and prevent the continued mortality of wildlife in the area.”
Last October, the carcasses of 12 eagles were found in Nahal Kina in the Judean Desert. Two dead dogs were also found at the scene. The samples that were taken from the dead eagles revealed a poisonous substance, which led the Nature and Parks Authority to determine that it was an intentional poisoning. The poisoning was identified with the help of the information obtained from transmitters attached to the eagles.
