Rock rabbits are seen more and more in Haifa • Should the Leishmania parasite (Shoshant Jericho) worry the people of Haifa? | watch

Rock rabbits are generally lovable animals, but they may carry a parasite called Leishmania, which is transmitted from them to humans by the bite of a sand fly (a tiny mosquito-like insect). Although the rabbits only carry the parasite, in humans it can cause a severe lesion on the skin, called "the rose of Jericho", a large purulent lesion, which has no cure and may remain in the body for months or even years. Leishmania began to break out in Israel in the 80s in the Arabah region, from where the parasite migrated to the Jordan Valley and the Sea of ​​Galilee. In 2018, an outbreak began in the central region (Hod Hasharon) and now cases have also been identified in Karmiel. Haifa is among the Leishmania areas, but no cases have been reported here yet. It is important to note that Leishmania migrates from rabbit to rabbit and from rabbit to human via the sand fly, but this does not mean that the pigs in Haifa are infected with Leishmania, as the virus has its own rate of migration.

Proliferation of rock rabbits in Haifa

Residents from various neighborhoods in Haifa are now reporting that recently they have been encountering rock rabbits in various places in the city, much more than before.

Haifa is a city with a tremendous natural resource. Encounters with wild animals in such a city are inevitable, they have happened here since time immemorial. But it seems that in recent years the ecological balance has been violated in a certain way and because of this the frictions between the wild animals and the city dwellers are increasing. Part of the imbalance is manifested in the breeding of wild boars in Haifa, the breeding of rats, and now also the rock rabbits.

Those who walk around the neighborhoods of Neve Yosef, Dania and Neve Shanan in Haifa, may have noticed the proliferation of the lovable rock rabbits. Residents in the Dania neighborhood told Lehi Pa that rock rabbits come to their gardens and eat from the trees and plants.

Rock rabbits climbing trees in Neve Shaanan (photo: Pearl Vineyards) | watch

Rock rabbits climbing trees in Neve Shaanan (photo: Pearl Vineyards) | watch

C, a resident of Dania, told Lahi Pa: "I live in a lower apartment, on a pillared floor that is open to Wadi in the Dania neighborhood. Six months ago I saw destroyed leaves and branches in my garden, in bushes that have been growing there for 30 years. I realized it was the work of rock rabbits when I saw them walking around in the wadi, and when I met them on my steps. They cut the leaves and eat them. I brought in someone who closed the entire floor of the columns, it cost me a lot of money. I cleaned part of the wadi, and it took a long time. Two months ago I saw that they ate from a bird of paradise plant that I have in the garden, they eat the root. Three weeks ago they already reached my floor, I don't know how they manage to get there. It's not just mine, they ate leaves of trees and plants in the neighbors' gardens too.'

Do Haifa people have reason to worry?

The natural habitats of rock rabbits are found in rocky and mountainous areas, artificial rocks scattered throughout the city can serve as a comfortable habitat for them. In recent years, the rate of reproduction of rock rabbits has been increasing, and at the same time, the spread of the Leishmania parasite has also been recorded, a parasite that is transmitted to humans by the bite of the sand fly, and causes a skin disease known as "Jericho's Rose" (Leishmania of the skin). Rock rabbits are known as hosts for the Leishmania parasite, so their breeding and proximity to populated areas may cause the outbreak of the disease in cities. Do the residents of Haifa have reason to worry?

"I don't let my granddaughters play in the grass"

"I don't let my granddaughters play in the grass anymore, because I'm afraid there are flies there. There is nowhere to turn and no one to talk to. The municipality does nothing about it. I spoke with the chief ecologist of the municipality, all she had to say was that Haifa does not have shimaniya. I told her - but be,' says G.

The parasite is transmitted by a bite

First, it should be noted that the Leishmania strains that exist abroad are more violent than the strains known in Israel. In Israel, Leishmania of the skin can be caused by two types of Leishmania parasites: Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica. Rock monkeys are the main reservoir animals of the Leishmania tropica parasite. Parasite Leishmina is transmitted to humans by the bite of the sand fly, which flies like a small mosquito.

An increase in the scope of morbidity

According to a position paper published by the Ministry of Health about five years ago, "the increase in the scope of morbidity (of leishmaniasis, AB) and its spread to new places is a worldwide phenomenon. Despite the many efforts of professionals, research and field personnel in many countries, and despite considerable financial resources invested in the subject on a global scale, there is no root solution in the world for preventing this disease, reducing its spread and effective treatment.'

Another document published by the Ministry of Health states that "until the 90s, the majority of skin leishmania morbidity in Israel was caused by the parasite Leishmania major." In the last 15 years, there has been a dramatic increase in the occurrence of the disease, partly due to an increase in the scope of morbidity caused by Leishmania tropica and the spread of both types of parasites to new geographical areas in Israel.'

Human intervention in nature

The spread of the Leishmania tropica parasite to new and populated areas is, apparently, directly related to the proliferation of rock faces and their proximity to cities. The parasite of the type Leishmania tropica is mainly common around the Sea of ​​Galilee, the back of the mountain in Judea and Samaria, the center of the Galilee and the Sea of ​​Galilee.

Motti Mendelson, a sea and nature researcher (and a writer in Hai Pa), says: "I saw rock faces in Neve Shanan, they are found in wadis and forest areas between residential blocks. They go up and pass the fences. They are cute, so people love them and feed them, which makes them come to the residential areas. The main thing that happens with the wild animals, is that we corner them, take over their territories, and then they come to us. This is what is called human intervention in nature.'

Shmuel Braunstein, a catcher of rats, mice, snakes and more, tells Lehi Fo: "Not long ago, I had a case of a rock rabbit that got into a stairwell at the Technion, went up and couldn't come down. I picked him up and took him out with special asbestos gloves, so he couldn't bite me. I released him back to his family, in the forest."

The balance was broken

"I was once approached by someone who asked to poison me, I said I'm sorry, but I don't do that," Braunstein adds. "Currently, there is no serious problem of rock rabbits, but the balance has been broken. In my opinion, the problem is that there are no birds of prey. There used to be eagles that would eat the rabbits, and today the birds of prey have decreased, so accordingly, the rock rabbits multiply. Perhaps the reason for this is that they used to poison the The rats were poisoned with harsh cyanide-based poisons, and the birds ate the rats, received the poison as well, and little by little their numbers decreased. This is how the balance is disturbed. A few years ago, the substances from which the poisons are made were changed, and today these substances do not remain in the body."

Currently, it can be said that there is no evidence of a Leishmania outbreak in Haifa

We turned to Dr. Inbal Greenfeld, a specialist in family medicine and infectious diseases in the Haifa district and the Western Galilee, and a resident of Haifa herself, in order to shed light on the issue: "The Leishmania parasites that are common in Israel cause skin diseases, unlike other types in the world that cause serious diseases of internal organs, which can cause death. More than 99% of the cases of the disease in Israel, it is a skin disease, which has no danger of death. Not every sand fly transmits the disease and not every rock rabbit has the Leishmania parasite. It is not that if you see a rock rabbit in Haifa it means that there is Leishmania in Haifa. If it happened that a rock rabbit carried the parasite, and a sand fly passed it from it to a person, usually a skin disease develops. This is a wound that heals very, very slowly, over months. It's not aesthetically beautiful, but it's not something that requires unequivocal treatment."

How do you know if a bite is a sand fly bite?

'It's a wound that has a different appearance. A clinical diagnosis can be made by a doctor who examines the wound and makes a diagnosis, and there is also a laboratory diagnosis. If it is not an aesthetic problem, the natural course of these lesions is that they eventually heal, but this can take many months. If it's in the face area, God forbid, then they give treatment.'

How widespread is Leishmania in Haifa?

"In Haifa we don't come across many cases at all. There are cases in the Galilee and the areas around the Sea of ​​Galilee, and many, many cases in the Jordan Valley region. I have not seen cases of Leishmania in Haifa.'

What treatment is given to the wound?

"The mild cases are treated locally or are not treated at all. If the lesion is over five centimeters, or in a functional or aesthetic place that is a problem - it is treated. If the lesion involves the mucous membranes, intravenous treatment is required using a drug called "Ambizom", and this treatment is given in a hospital."

According to the Nature and Parks Authority, there are two ways to reduce the phenomenon of rock faces approaching cities:

1. Removal of rocks and boulders near residential neighborhoods.
2. Rock sealing. The faces of the rock do not usually dig, so it is possible to seal the rocks with soil and even concrete. At new construction sites, which are close to the habitats of rock rabbits, the contractors must be required to dismantle the rocks or cover their openings with concrete even before the new neighborhood is established.

The Nature and Parks Authority informed Lai Pa:
"The rock hare is defined in the law as a 'protected wild animal' and should not be harmed. It is even an important component of the food chain in nature, being prey for some birds of prey. However, in dealing with the Leishmaniasis disease, the Nature and Parks Authority issued a general permit to harm the rock elephants in and near populated areas only. (Harming rock hares is prohibited in nature reserves and national parks). Act according to the instructions of the permit only!
It will be made clear that harming rock hares without reducing their habitat will not solve the problem, since other rock hares will fill the gap in a short time.'

Haifa Municipality's response:

In Haifa and its surroundings there is no presence of Leishmania (the parasite that causes the disease known as the "Jericho Rose"). There is no evidence of an increase in the rock hare population in the city. In Haifa, there are spatial guidelines for construction that require retaining walls on lots bordering natural areas in order to prevent the formation of rock formations where rock faces could become established.