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Southern Wildlife
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Ibex
Ibex are a large species of wild goat. Their Hebrew
and Arabic names both mean "to ascend." Dependent on water,
the group travels together to a water hole. One member of the
group will keep watch and whistle if danger approaches, telling the
herd to race to the cliffs. The cliffs are their safety
because of their strong agile legs and grooved hooves, allowing them
to climb on the rocks in difficult areas.
Psalm 104:18 (KJV)
“The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for
the conies.”
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Camels
Camels can survive amazingly well in the
high Negev temperatures. They have thick coats which protect them
from the desert heat, long eyelashes which shade them from the sun, a
split upper lip which permits them to eat thorny plants, and they can
close their nostrils during sandstorms. Most importantly, they can
go without water for prolonged periods of time — at least a week — because
they reprocess urea, a chemical normally lost in urine, while keeping a
constant amount of water in their blood plasma. |
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Ostriches
Job 39:13-18 (NIV) "The wings of the
ostrich flap joyfully, but they cannot compare with the pinions and
feathers of the stork. She lays her eggs on the
ground and lets them warm in the sand,
unmindful that a foot may crush them, that some wild animal may trample
them. She treats her young harshly, as if they
were not hers; she cares not that her labor was in vain,
for God did not endow her with wisdom or give her a
share of good sense. Yet when she spreads her
feathers to run, she laughs at horse and rider." |
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Jackals Jackals are
frequently referenced in judgment passages in Scripture as a wild animal
that inhabits a place abandoned by man.
Isaiah 34:13 (NIV) “Thorns will
overrun her citadels, nettles and brambles her strongholds. She will
become a haunt for jackals, a home for owls.”
Job 30:29 (NIV) “I have become a
brother of jackals, a companion of owls.” |
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Sheep
For centuries sheep have been an important part of life in
Israel, providing the local inhabitants with wool, milk, and meat.
They were a key part of sacrificial offerings at the temple and
tabernacle, and were frequently compared to men in the Bible, to
illustrate their dependency and helplessness.
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Shepherd
“Sheep” and “flocks” are mentioned hundreds of times in
the Bible, using twelve different Hebrew words and four Greek words. They
are the most prominent animal mentioned in Scripture.
Luke 15:4 (KJV) “What man of you, having an hundred
sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the
wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?” |
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Related Websites
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Hai-Bar Yotvata Nature Reserve (The Red Sea Desert) A
description of the Hai-Bar Nature Reserve with some facts and
pictures of the wildlife that are being reintroduced into the
environment.
Hai Bar Conservation Programmes (Leiah Elbaum) A discussion of
the work at the Hai Bar Nature Reserve including several pictures of
animals.
Some Biblical animal species of the desert (Tu B'shvat
Environmental Program) A helpful list of many biblical animals,
providing their scientific names, verse references, and other facts.
Promised Land of the Ostrich (National Wildlife Federation) An
informative article about the ostriches at Hai Bar Nature
Reserve. Provides many fascinating facts about these biblical
creatures.
Birding Israel Website (Birding Israel) A webpage devoted to
birdwatching in Israel. Includes photos of several species of birds.
Birding in
Southern Israel (Leiah Elbaum)
An extensive
account of birds in various regions of the south, with pictures.
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