Residents of Givat Tzon Aviezer in Samaria found an injured and exhausted stork yesterday in grazing fields after it was hurt at an illegal ‘Palestinian’ dump near the village of Deir Istiya in Judea & Samaria. The stork, which lost its ability to fly, was taken to safety on the hilltop and treated by residents before being transferred to Israel Nature and Parks Authority inspectors for medical care and eventual release back into the wild.
The incident underscores the consequences of ongoing environmental damage in the area. An illegal ‘Palestinian’ dump operated by the village of Deir Istiya attracts thousands of migrating birds each year that see it as a food source, according to residents. The food scattered among mountains of garbage and toxic smoke causes severe damage to nature and the birds themselves, posing a serious environmental hazard.
Yesterday, residents of Tzon Aviezer—a Jewish village located between the communities of Yitzhar and Emmanuel—found the stork injured in its legs and body after spending time at the dump. It landed on the ground in the grazing fields after losing its ability to fly, completely exhausted.
Immediately after finding it, residents took the stork to safety on the hilltop, where they brought it water and food. The residents reported to the Nature and Parks Authority, and an inspector arrived to collect the stork for urgent medical treatment with the goal of returning it to the wild. This incident follows an earlier case just two weeks ago, when residents documented another stork trying to fly with a large plastic sheet from the dump wrapped around its neck.
Oz Yehuda Rom, a Tzon Aviezer resident who found the stork with his wife Tamar, addressed the situation and said that “the enormous environmental damage created by the ‘Palestinian’ Authority is incomprehensible and strikes every corner.” Rom added that “we and the other communities in the area breathe the toxic smoke from the dump every day, but we see again and again that animals are also harmed by it.”
Rom emphasized the importance of Israeli presence in the area: “This time, thank God, we were here in the field to locate and provide assistance to the animals harmed by environmental terror, but before the hilltop was established, the lawlessness here on the ridge was severe. We learned from this today once again—only settlement will prevent Arab terror of all kinds, and will restore security and peace to the people of Israel and to nature.”