About 130,000 animals are hunted annually in Israel under legal protection

For the first time, official data on hunting in Israel has been released, revealing what researchers call biologically senseless killing. A report by the Knesset Research and Information Center presents troubling findings: the majority of hunting is done for leisure, and state authorities manage to supervise only about 10% of hunting incidents. At the same time, the number of hunting licenses is rising at an alarming rate. According to the report, in each of the past three years, hunters killed roughly 130,000 animals annually.

The report was compiled at the request of lawmaker Yasmin Sachs-Friedman (Yesh Atid), based on information from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. While hunting has accompanied humanity throughout history, the practice has become increasingly contentious in recent decades. In Israel, hunting remains legal under certain conditions.

Wild boar

(Photo: Elagn Greengorn)

Personal or “sport” hunting accounted for about 61% of animals killed over the past three years, with no ecological benefit. Another category, known as “management hunting,” is intended to preserve ecological balance, prevent agricultural damage, or address threats to humans or animals. This form of hunting requires a general permit for licensed hunters or a special permit, and made up about 30% of the hunting. An additional 8% was conducted by Nature and Parks Authority rangers as part of wildlife management operations.

In total, 382,717 animals were killed over the three-year period under license or permit. In 1997, Israel had about 4,300 licensed hunters. That number declined steadily until 2017 but has since begun to rise again. As of early 2024, Israel had 2,583 licensed hunters. About half, or 1,254, reported having hunted at least once that year. A large majority (roughly 83%) live in northern Israel: 69.7% in the Northern District and 13.6% in the Haifa District. The rest are spread across the Central District (8.2%), Southern District (4.5%), Tel Aviv (2%), Jerusalem (1%), and the West Bank (0.5%). Of all licensed hunters, 21% live in Druze communities, 55% in Arab communities, 13% in Jewish communities, and 10% in mixed cities.

hunting birds

(Photo: From social networks)

Currently in Israel, 15% of plant species, 34% of reptiles, 38% of butterflies, 29% of nesting birds, 73% of bristletails (primitive insects), 56% of land snails, 31% of scorpions, 100% of amphibians, 23% of freshwater fish, 63% of amphibians (again, possibly double-counted), and 62% of mammals are considered endangered.

The three most hunted species among those legally permitted over the past three years were rock doves (186,552), Eurasian collared doves (41,227), and common starlings (1,676). Among animals killed under management hunting, wild boars topped the list with 35,027 individuals, followed by rose-ringed parakeets (30,953), golden jackals (11,757), common mynas (10,848 — considered one of the most dangerous invasive species), hooded crows (6,279), monk parakeets (5,558), rock hyraxes (4,698), Indian house crows (2,110), peacocks (108), Syrian woodpeckers (247), wolves (38), and foxes (11).

Green Course CEO Elad Hochman said in response: “The state not only allows indiscriminate mass shooting of wildlife — it’s shooting itself in the foot. This killing harms Israel’s rich biodiversity and further destroys the country’s rapidly shrinking open natural spaces. If this trend continues, our children will not be able to enjoy the landscapes we grew up with or the natural values we were raised on.” He added, “We’re seeing a spike in hunting licenses over the past decade, alongside a decline in enforcement and oversight. That defies professional and moral logic. Many animal and bird species — like ducks — are declining because of the twisted pleasure of a small group of people. These numbers are deeply disturbing, and the public needs to know that this dangerous trend can be stopped.”

Ducks hunted in in the Harod Valley

(צילום: אביחי רן)

He also called on Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman to immediately approve regulations banning the use of lead in hunting — legislation that has been stalled for two and a half years. “The government must ban recreational hunting for pleasure, as former minister Gilad Erdan proposed back in 2011,” he said. “Every delay costs the lives of hundreds of thousands of animals, destroys Israeli nature, and undermines the Zionist ethos of love for the land and preservation of its wildlife and natural treasures.”

Knesset lawmaker Yasmin Sachs-Friedman, chair of the Knesset’s Animal Welfare Lobby, said in response, “This report exposes shocking data that demand action. Once again, the Israeli government is showing that it doesn’t care about animal suffering. It’s unacceptable that hundreds of thousands of animals are killed each year for ‘sport’ — and no one is doing anything to stop it. Even worse, every piece of legislation that could help animals is blocked by the government.”