A young female eagle was found dead at the foot of a cliff in the Gamla Nature Reserve in the Golan Heights after a transmitter attached to her sent distress signals. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority is now working to determine the cause of death.
The operation began last weekend in the afternoon, after inspector and eagle watcher Alika Maatouf received the alert from the bird’s transmitter. Maatouf rappelled about 80 meters down the cliff and found the eagle lifeless. After sunset, members of the Golan Rescue Unit joined Nature and Parks Authority teams and also rappelled down the cliff to recover the carcass before sunrise.
According to Dr. Ohad Hatzofe, raptor ecologist at the authority, the bird hatched in the wild in the Carmel area and was tagged by rangers at the Hai-Bar Carmel reserve on November 17, 2024. He said the father was also born in the wild in Carmel, and the mother is an older female that previously nested in the Golan.
Hatzofe said it was important to determine the circumstances of death quickly in order to prevent further harm to eagles and other wildlife. The carcass was transferred for examination at the Veterinary Services Institute to rule out poisoning, which could affect other birds and wild animals.
