Dozens of white storks were severely injured in northern Israel during April after colliding with overhead power lines, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) reported on Wednesday.
According to the organization, most incidents occurred in the Golan Heights, particularly in areas where new power lines and wind farms have been built.
Since the start of the spring migration season, numerous reports have been received of dead or seriously injured storks. Many were evacuated to KKL-JNF’s Wildlife Acclimation Center in poor condition, suffering from open fractures and extensive bleeding.
In several cases, the birds had to be euthanized due to the severity of their injuries, KKL-JNF said.
“Collisions of birds with overhead power lines are a troubling phenomenon that causes serious damage to Israel’s ecosystem every year,” said Yaron Charka, KKL-JNF’s chief ornithologist. “In the current incident, we received field reports of over 30 stork carcasses. Dozens more were found with severe fractures to their wings and legs. It’s a horrifying event.
“Over the past year, along the western canal in Hula Lake Park, we completed a project to bury a hazardous overhead power line that posed a threat to birds. But addressing this issue on a broader scale requires significant involvement from additional parties.”
Stork evacuation requires a complex logistical effort
Rona Valency, a veterinarian at the Hula Valley Wildlife Acclimatization Center, said each stork evacuation requires a complex logistical effort. “Sometimes several days pass between the moment of injury and the time the bird is discovered, which significantly reduces the likelihood of a successful rescue,” she said. “There is an urgent need to explore ways to minimize these injuries, including marking power lines and proactively preparing known migration routes.”
According to KKL-JNF, electrocution also presents a serious threat to Israel’s bird population, especially rare and endangered species. Utility poles often serve as resting or observation points, but contact with exposed cables can result in fatal electrocutions. While solutions such as insulating poles exist, they offer only partial protection and are being implemented too slowly to be fully effective.
How Israel can avoid harming local wildlife while managing urban needs
Dan Alon, CEO of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, emphasized that such injuries are preventable. “The injury of birds due to collisions with power lines is not an inevitable fate. It is possible to reduce the phenomenon and even prevent it by placing the lines underground or installing measures to reduce bird collisions,” he said.
“As part of the expansion of Israel’s power grid, many additional lines are expected to be built. Therefore, we must work to avoid installing overhead lines in especially sensitive areas and install mitigation measures on existing overhead lines to reduce bird casualties.
“When planning new energy production sites, their locations—and the locations of the power lines connecting them to the grid—must be carefully examined. Better planning that considers the area’s sensitivity and the activity of birds that may be harmed by the lines must be promoted.”
The Environment and Climate Change portal is produced in cooperation with the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. The Jerusalem Post maintains all editorial decisions related to the content.
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