During the month of April, dozens of white storks were injured in northern Israel as a result of collisions with overhead power lines. Most of the incidents occurred in the Golan Heights, particularly in the Petroleum Road and the Valley of Tears areas, where wind farms and new power lines are located.
Since the beginning of the spring migration season, dozens of reports were made about severely injured and dead storks. The injured storks were evacuated to KKL-JNF’s Wildlife Acclimation Center, in poor physical condition, with open fractures, and severe bleeding. In some cases, caregivers were forced to euthanize the birds due to the severity of their injuries.
“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 the 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."
Photograph: Rona Valency, Veterinarian at The Hula Valley Wildlife Acclimatization Center
Rona Valency, Veterinarian at The Hula Valley Wildlife Acclimatization Center , noted that every evacuation of an injured stork requires a complex logistical operation, and sometimes several days pass between the injury and the stork's detection, reducing the chances of rescue. “There is an urgent need to explore ways to minimize these injuries, including marking power lines and proactivly preparing known migration routes.”
Electrocution poses a serious threat to Israel’s bird population, especially to rare and endangered species. Utility poles serve as resting and observation points for birds, but contact with the cables leads to the deaths of thousands of birds every year. Solutions such as insulating poles offer only partial protection, and their implementation rate is slow and insufficient.
Dan Alon, CEO of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel , said: “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. 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, and better planning, that considers the area’s sensitivity and the activity of birds that may be harmed by the lines, must be promoted.”