Why Jackals?

For as long as I can remember – I’ve loved nature.

People often say I’m a nature girl who got stuck in the city.

I also love capturing moments with my camera and revisiting them later.

Call it therapy, nostalgia, or just a reason to get up in the morning – one thing’s for sure: it fills me with joy.

I’m always looking for a quiet corner – among trees, near the water.

I can walk for hours, observing, exploring, listening to the sounds around me, and lose myself in photographing the tiniest creatures most of us might overlook.

Luckily, I live near Yarkon Park .This pocket of nature in the heart of the city has become my refuge – a peaceful, green, vibrant place.

Over time, I discovered an entire world of urban wildlife – birds, reptiles, frogs, turtles, and more.

I photograph them every day, learn about them, get excited – and most of all, fall in love.

But alongside all of this, I also witnessed damage to nature: tree cutting, aggressive pruning, reckless mowing, pollution in the Yarkon River, fishing, construction, light pollution, habitat destruction, and more.

Gradually, I understood – this has become my mission: to document what remains, protect it, raise awareness, and help bring about change.

And among all this – came the jackals.

I’ll tell the full story of my bond with the jackals in a separate post. Here, I want to focus on why I chose to become active on their behalf.

It began in 2016.

Two incidents, just a few weeks apart – changed something deep inside me.

The first incident: The Ramat Gan municipality captured and euthanized a trembling, sick jackal found in a yard in the Shikun Vatikim neighborhood.

I was devastated. I couldn’t understand how they had the authority to euthanize a jackal without clear justification.

Only after writing letters and speaking with the authorities did I begin to understand how complex the situation truly was.

I published a post about the incident, and it led to a news article.

🔗 [Link to article]

The second incident: A few weeks later, two unleashed dogs attacked a jackal and injured him so badly that he lay helpless on the ground.

I saw everything from behind a fence. I banged on it with my bag to scare the dogs away – and managed to drive them off.

They were wandering without an owner in a fenced area – which prevented me from getting in to help the jackal.

I tried contacting the authorities – the municipality said jackals were not its responsibility, and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority didn’t answer (it was a Saturday).

That’s when I realized: jackals fall between the cracks.

🔗 [Link to my post from that day]

Since then, some progress has been made in how authorities deal with urban jackals.

As part of my activity, I engage in:

• Public awareness through social media

• Liaising with municipalities, professionals, and nonprofits

• Participating in exhibitions and photography competitions

• Media publications

• Writing formal letters, advising concerned residents, attending Knesset (parliament) committee meetings

And so, without really planning to – I became an activist.

Not just for protecting nature – but for the jackals, too.

Sadly, authorities don’t always choose to act in the jackals’ best interest – but rather respond to public pressure.

So I do everything I can to change public perception.

Because when people fear less – decision-makers start to listen differently.

And every photo, every story, every moment of empathy – brings us one step closer.

📷 Want to see for yourself?

👉 View the jackal photo gallery >>