An Israeli deer hunted and was sued for 600 shekels • For the first time - a tort claim for killing a protected animal

(live here in the wild) - The Nature and Parks Authority filed a claim for damages against a third party in violation of the Israeli female deer law - a protected wild animal in danger of extinction. The lawsuit, which was submitted to the Haifa Magistrate's Court, came After the man was convicted and sentenced to, among other things, 8 months in prison. "Any loss of a female Israeli deer of breeding age is a huge loss and a severe blow to any breeding herd," said the head of the PA's ecology department.

The lawsuit is a precedent proceeding, because it requires the criminal to indemnify the state for the financial damage he caused when he damaged the reproductive nucleus of a protected animal that is in danger of extinction.

Claim: Financial compensation in the amount of 600 thousand shekels in addition to imprisonment:

A precedent-setting lawsuit was filed against Jamal Haj, who was convicted at the end of 2021 of chasing and killing a female Israeli deer - an endangered wild animal, in violation of the law. In the lawsuit, submitted to the Haifa Magistrate's Court, the Nature and Parks Authority demands financial compensation of NIS 600, in order to restore the damage caused by the loss of the female deer to the herd.

Tort claims for hunting and killing wild animals

This is the first lawsuit of its kind, as part of a policy that the Nature and Parks Authority began to apply, according to which tort claims will be filed for hunting and killing protected wild animals and protected natural values. The Authority hopes that this policy will deter the hunters from illegal hunting, which harms the protected wild animals and the protected natural values, thus making it clear that it does not pay to harm nature.

In 2017, Haj - 63 years old from Tamra - shot a female Israeli deer from his vehicle in the Ramat Sirin area. He was helped by his two partners to collect the carcass of the deer. The three were caught after a short chase by the inspectors of the Nature and Parks Authority, when the corpse was in their car, disguised in a bag and under piles of tomatoes, when their goal was to hide the crime.

At the end of the criminal trial, and after hearing evidence, Hajj, who was the dominant figure, was convicted. The court sentenced him to, among other things, 8 months in prison and a fine of NIS 25. In view of the great damage the defendant caused to the environment and the ecosystem, when he harmed the deer in a way that harmed the herd, the authority is now asking the civil court to order the defendant to compensate her for the cost of restoring the herd.

Attorney Shai Peretz, Director of the Claims Division at the Nature and Parks Authority, said: 

This is a lawsuit that is the first of its kind, as the Authority will now advance a financial claim against any hunter who is convicted of illegal deer hunting as part of the criminal procedure. In addition to the criminal punishment, a financial sanction will now be added, this time of approximately NIS 600, which will be claimed from the hunter as part of the civil proceedings, for the benefit of the restoration of the damaged deer herd, a purpose that the Authority believes in by virtue of the law, and is determined to realize for the benefit of all the citizens of the State of Israel. I thank the civil prosecutor's office for the close cooperation and the combination of forces in a series of proactive legal procedures to protect the environment and natural values.

Protected natural value

The Israeli deer is one of the only three species belonging to the deer family left in the wild in Israel. The deer is a protected wild animal and a natural value protected by law, which is an important component of its habitat both as a herbivore and seed spreader, and as food for predators and carrion eaters.

An endangered species

The historical distribution of the deer extended from the Arabian Peninsula, north to Syria and west to Sinai, but the spread of firearms in the Middle East after the First World War caused a drastic reduction in the number of deer by hunting, to the point of its extinction in most of the area, except in Israel.

The species was assessed in 2015 as an "Endangered" species by the World Conservation Organization (IUCN). In Israel, the deer is currently threatened by a number of factors, the main of which is illegal hunting, which may cause the collapse of regional populations and their extinction. In 2022, the deer population in Israel was estimated at only about 5,500 individuals.

Dr. Noam Lider, Director of the Ecology Division at the Nature and Parks Authority, added: 

The Israeli deer is one of the clear symbols of nature in Israel and the great efforts to preserve it. The deer is currently unique in its distribution to Israel, having become extinct in neighboring countries, and therefore the responsibility for preserving the species from global extinction is contingent solely on the ability of the State of Israel to take the necessary actions to preserve it.
Today we estimate that there are only about 5,500 individuals in the wild in Israel. Any loss of a female Israeli deer of reproductive age is a huge loss and a severe blow to any breeding herd. I hope that the entire Israeli public will understand thanks to this lawsuit the real damage caused to nature by harming the value of protected nature and protected wild animals, and will discourage anyone who thinks that harming a wild animal is an equal risk. The opposite is true, anyone who harms the value of protected nature must pay the full extent of the harm.