Israeli Wildlife Rescue Team Saves Smallest Nocturnal Raptor Stuck on Mount Hermon Cable Car

A rare rescue operation took place recently at Mount Hermon when a little owl, Israel's smallest nocturnal raptor, became trapped in a cable car carriage. The incident was noticed by Niyad, a cable car operator, who immediately alerted guides from the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) present at the site during educational tours and a youth summer camp.

The rescue team, including SPNI ranger Shalom Yudelman and national service volunteers Shaked Yitzhaki and Ido Ohad, carefully freed the bird from the cable car. After confirming the owl was unharmed, they released it back into its natural habitat. The little owl is a skilled predator feeding mainly on insects and occasionally small rodents, commonly found in wooded and rocky areas across Israel but rarely seen due to its nocturnal habits.

This successful rescue highlights the cooperation between Mount Hermon staff and environmental educators in protecting local wildlife and ensuring their safe return to nature.