Israeli Police Rescue Young Porcupine From Illegal Hunters in Northern Israel

Early Wednesday morning, Israeli police received a report of two ATVs moving through avocado orchards near a Galilee settlement. Suspecting criminal activity, large forces from the northern district were dispatched to locate the suspects. Officers soon identified the suspects, who fled on foot after one ATV overturned into a ditch. Upon arresting four men aged 25 to 39 from Baana, police discovered they were not protection racketeers but illegal porcupine hunters.

Authorities found hunting equipment, porcupine meat, and a live young porcupine at the scene. A Nature and Parks Authority inspector examined the animal, confirming it was unharmed and released it back into the wild. The Authority opened a case against the four for illegal wildlife hunting using prohibited methods and possession of protected natural assets. Porcupines are protected wild animals in Israel, and hunting them is forbidden.

Nathan Bainosovich, enforcement officer for the northern district at the Nature and Parks Authority, praised the police for their vigilance and cooperation in combating illegal hunting. He emphasized ongoing efforts to protect wildlife from harm. The porcupine is Israel's largest rodent, measuring about 90 cm in body length, with a 15 cm tail and weighing around 13 kg. Its body is covered with quills up to 50 cm long, which serve as passive defense by vibrating and producing threatening sounds when the animal feels threatened, but it cannot shoot them.