The IDF, dubbed by some as the most humanitarian army in the world, has proven its regard not just for humans but also for animals.
According to the latest issue of the IDF magazine Bamahane, combat soldiers from the Shimshon battalion of the Kfir Brigade received a report last weekend about shootings east of Shechem last weekend. Certain they were about to deal with an act of terrorism, they were surprised to find out that in fact they were dealing with a case of illegal hunting by three PA Arab men.
The soldiers’ acted quickly and in collaboration with Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority and were able to apprehend the three suspects. Captain David Fadida, the company commander, told Bamahane: “We found a dead deer in the back of the car, the three hunters and their illegal hunting weapons. This is the second illegal hunting incident we’ve been able to catch in the last two months and we will continue our cooperation with the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority in order to protect animals in the area.”
The three suspects admitted that they were hunting the deer for the Eid al-Adha holiday, an important Muslim religious holiday in which an animal is traditionally sacrificed. The three will be tried for hunting as well as for illegal possession of weapons.
According to the Nature and Parks Authority website, “All animals in Israel are protected by law; hunting is prohibited unless the animals are considered sources of damage and have been officially declared permissible for hunting. Hunting is permitted as per wildlife protection regulations, which are periodically updated in keeping with changing conditions, and only with specifically permitted weapons.”
Following the incident, the IDF announced it will be on high alert for illegal hunting in the Samaria region, as illegal hunting activity sees an increase around the time of Eid al-Adha.
Moti Shefi, an inspector of the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority in Samaria, told Bamahane: “IDF forces and the Israeli Civil Administration together double the forces specifically allocated to illegal hunting and those working against harming nature in general. There is no justification for this hunting. I am glad the IDF helped us catch these hunters in the act.”