There are only eight tigers left in Israel

Tzafrir Rinat, Haaretz (in Adivenz, Walla!)

The Shlomzion tiger in Ein Gedi. It is not clear if her offspring are completely healthy (archive photo: Ofri Shemesh)

A new study reveals that the population of tigers in Israel is smaller than researchers had thought until now. Mating within the family, which increases the risk of disease, reduces the tigers' chance of survival

The Tel Aviv Cinematheque recently screened the documentary film "The Last Tiger", in which the director Ishari Halperin and the zoologist Haim Berger follow the tracks of what they believe to be the only remaining tiger in the Judean Desert. The definition of the tiger as "the last" was indeed exaggerated, but not far from reality - as is clear from a new research work done at Tel Aviv University. According to the study, there are two tigers left in the Judean desert, and in total there are about eight tigers living in Israel. The number is lower than previous estimates, and increases the fear that over time the tigers will not be able to survive in Israel.

The research on the estimation of the size of the tiger population in Israel was done by Inbar Perez, as part of her studies for a master's degree in the Department of Zoology at Tel Aviv University. He is supposed to provide the Nature and Parks Authority with information that will help it take steps to preserve the tigers, which have been in danger of extinction for years.

Monitoring through genetic research of dung

Unlike previous studies on tigers in Israel and around the world, Perez did not track the tigers themselves or capture them and attach transmitters to their bodies. These methods are defined as invasive and may disturb the tiger, who is used to living in solitude (he only comes into contact with females during courtship) and maintain a safe distance from humans. However, although Perez herself testifies that she was not able to see any tigers during the research, she was able to gather information about their number, species and habitats.

Perez used a tracking method based on gathering genetic information about the tigers. With the help of inspectors from the Nature and Parks Authority, she collected tiger droppings in the Judean and Negev deserts, and then analyzed the genetic material (DNA) that was in the droppings, in the laboratory of Dr. Ofer Mokidi at Tel Aviv University. This analysis allowed her to distinguish between different individuals of tigers and provided her with information about their species.

The analysis of the information, which was based on 54 DNA samples from different sites, led to the conclusion that today there are three females and five males living in the Judean Desert and the Negev. According to Perez's supervisor, Dr. Eli Geffen, the number is uncertain, because the analysis was also based on a statistical assessment. He also explains that it is difficult to differentiate between different tigers, in a population where there is a lot of genetic similarity between the individuals. However, Geffen said, this is the best estimate made to date - especially when compared to studies where only some of the tigers were tracked. "Using this method in the future will also make it possible to know if there has been a decrease or increase in the tiger population," he added.

According to the research, in the Yehuda Desert live a male and a female, who are descendants of the famous tigers Shlomzion and Bata. The male, Hariton, has entered Kibbutz Ein Gedi territory twice in recent times. In one case he was seen carrying in his mouth a domestic cat that had been eaten.

About 150 tigers in the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East

The habitats of the tigers are very large and cover hundreds of square kilometers. During courtship, the male wanders over great distances. Indeed, the research also shows that there is apparently a transition of tigers from one region to another: a great genetic similarity was discovered between the two tigers from the Judean Desert and one of the tigers in the Negev.

The tigers that live in Israel are from a subspecies that used to be common in the area between the Negev and Sinai and the Arabian Peninsula. Over the years man has hunted a large number of tigers and damaged their habitats. According to the estimate, less than 100 tigers remain today in the Arabian Peninsula (Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Oman); In other countries in the region, including Israel, it is estimated that less than 50 remain.

Perez's current estimate is lower than a previous estimate of the tiger population in Israel. In the previous estimate, which was made by the zoologist Yotam Temana based on tracking tigers in 1990-1986, their number in Israel was estimated at 20-10.

The breeding centers in the Gulf may help in times of peace

The smaller and more isolated tiger populations are, the greater the risk of their extinction, because they lose the genetic diversity that exists in large populations. This increases the tigers' susceptibility to infectious diseases, and affects the degree of success in reproduction. The genetic test in the current study proved the existence of mating between relatives among the tigers in Israel - which increases the risk of physical injury or damage to reproductive capacity. Since Perez did not capture tigers, it is not known if there are indeed tigers suffering from these defects.

Advertisement To allow tigers to recover, genetic diversity must be increased. One of the methods to increase diversity is to bring tigers of the same subspecies to Israel and release them into the wild. However, as Perez points out in the research, today there are very few tigers of this subspecies left, so it will be difficult to find candidates for release in Israel.

In the United Arab Emirates and Oman, tiger breeding centers have indeed been established to enable a return to the wild in the future. However, as long as Israel does not have full relations with these countries, it will be impossible to use them to save the Israeli tiger. Even if it is possible to do this in the future, the chances of success are still low. Perez points out that the return of wild animals from captivity to the wild has a 38% success rate, and in the case of large predators such as tigers - the success rates are much lower.