Haifa, a city in nature ○ Haibulance – saving wildlife

(live here in the wild) - A tweet in the neighborhood's WhatsApp about an injured hedgehog found in the opening of the wadi, created excitement and a desire of many residents to help the little animal. After exchanging correspondence throughout the morning and trying to figure out how to act, we managed to locate a volunteer from the Nature and Parks Authority, Havilens, who received the hedgehog at her home and from there transferred it to the Safari Wildlife Hospital in Ramat Gan for professional help. The case of the hedgehog made it clear to us that it is worth sharing with the general public the desired and found order of operations when encountering an injured wild animal.

Shmulik the hedgehog

Helen Ashkenazi, a resident of Ramat Eshkol: "At night, the wadi that borders our neighborhood has a whole life that we hear and see. So, for example, we recently noticed a family of hedgehogs that live near the common building and walk around the urban area during the hours of darkness. One day when I went out with my son to school, we found one of the hedgehogs The little ones when he is exhausted, panting, his eyes are open and he doesn't move. I was afraid to leave him like that in the field, so that stray cats or crows wouldn't hurt him and I collected him with cloth gloves in a cardboard box to our house.

I called the Nature and Parks Authority hotline 3639* and they directed me to a volunteer named Shirley who lives in the Moshav HaYogev and is part of the Hibulens volunteer system. Shirley also instructed me on the phone to place the hedgehog in a box with a soft surface, to make ventilation holes, cover the box so that it is dark, give it a heavy water dish that does not tip over and some cat food. Later that day I drove the hedgehog to Moshav HaYogev and from there he was transferred to the wildlife hospital located at Safari in Ramat Gan."

Crow chick

Rinat Levy, resident of Dania: "A few days ago, the girls and I went for a night walk, when we suddenly noticed an injured chick lying on the ground near the playground in the neighborhood. It appeared to have a serious injury to its wing and had probably fallen from the nest above it. We searched the Internet for information that would help us, and that's how we arrived at the Nature and Parks Authority hotline who guided us. Since there is no transfer station in Haifa, meaning a volunteer to whom the injured animal can be transferred and he coordinates its transfer to a safari wildlife hospital, we decided to travel to Ramat Gan with the chick in the box independently."

Civil initiative

Amit Almog, a volunteer at Havilens says:
"Seven years ago, we discovered a need to help animals and take them to a wildlife hospital that could give them professional treatment. Until then, mostly inspectors from the Nature and Parks Authority would collect injured animals, but since they were limited in time and very busy with their duties, many animals would be left aside This is the way or they don't get treatment at all. At this point we realized that an organization was needed to help move the animals, and at the same time citizens' organizations started to form all over the country. Later, on our own initiative, we turned to the inspectors of the Nature and Parks Authority and told them that we were ready to help them. In this way, we also discovered each other and the other volunteers in the country." .

One man with a big car

"After the unfortunate death of the chief caretaker of the Safari Wildlife Hospital in Ramat Gan, the late Shmulik Landau, there remains a great need to fill the huge void he left in regards to his dedicated work with collecting the injured animals or coordinating their bringing to the hospital. Shmulik had a vehicle that he called "Hivolens" and he drove all over the country to pick up injured animals and bring them to the hospital. With his death, it became necessary to establish a national organization that is linked to the Nature and Parks Authority, and Ilana (Lenny) Dekel-Rosenberg was recruited for this role, who gathered all the veteran volunteers, and I was among them, and together we established the Hivlens organization."

Thousands of animals are injured a year

At the beginning of our journey we were eight people and together we operated a Facebook group and we also opened WhatsApp groups according to regions in Israel, we recruited volunteers and established the first formation. In the first year we collected about 3,000 injured animals, today we have an array of about 400 volunteers, WhatsApp groups from Metula to Eilat and we transfer about 8,000 injured animals to the wildlife hospital a year. Thanks to the national system and the network of dedicated volunteers, we are able to transport an injured animal to treatment within a period of up to 12 hours from the moment it is found."

Treatment according to the type of animal

Nir Nadibi, an employee of the Nature and Parks Authority and a dedicated volunteer in Hibulans:
"If you find an injured wild animal, carefully collect it in a closed and lined cardboard with holes for ventilation and call the Nature and Parks Authority hotline 3639* to open a call. Try to see if you can transport the animal yourself to the safari or to one of the nearby transit stations. If it is not possible to transport, it is important to stay Patient. After all, this is an array of volunteers who work with dedication at the same time as work, home, children... As soon as a call is received at the hotline, the report of the injured animal will pass through the Hivolance volunteers and we will try to find an available volunteer who can collect the animal from you and ensure its continued safe passage to a wildlife hospital in Safari." .

It is very important to receive specific treatment instructions according to the animal's species from the Hivolens volunteers and not to do anything on your own before receiving instructions from the professionals. For example, do not pick up a hedgehog with your bare hands, do not give water directly into the beak of birds, so as not to accidentally suffocate them, and more. Each animal has its own care guidelines and this is critical to its survival.

Transit stations

Throughout the country there are transit stations of volunteers who have undergone training by the Nature and Parks Authority and are authorized to give wild animals initial care until they are transferred to the Safari Wildlife Hospital in Ramat Gan. The transit stations closest to Haifa are the Ein Afek Nature Reserve, the Nahal Meerot Nature Reserve and the Hibulens volunteers in Yokneam. In Haifa, despite being surrounded by waves and nature, there is a lack of volunteers.

Those interested in volunteering are invited to contact the Facebook page of Hibulans - at the link:

You will find more information about the Hibulens on the website of the Nature and Parks Authority - at the link: