Nature and Parks Authority

12 years after the oil spill: What is happening in the Avrona Nature Reserve now?

Following Israel's massive 2014 EAPC oil spill, complex rehabilitation begins at Avrona Nature Reserve, evacuating 30,000 tons of contaminated soil.

Alongside its toxicity, the oil created a hard, impermeable layer on the ground. The Avrona oil spill disaster.
(Left) Israeli woman is seen in Jericho, in Area A, before being escorted back to sovreign Israel by security forces on August 18. (Right) A monkey is seen in a Jericho home before being rescued by Israeli security forces on August 17.

Authorities rescue Israeli shoppers, seize illegal monkey from residence in Jericho, West Bank

The British waterworks at Yarkon National Park.

After decades in darkness: Tel Afek's historic underground waterworks opens to public

"We welcome the renewal of the service center." The renovated entrance to Tel Dan

Tel Dan Nature Reserve damaged by missile in war; here is how it looks after restoration


1,500-year-old synagogue uncovered in Golan Heights nature reserve

Excavations in the Golan Heights have revealed a 1,500-year-old synagogue built of basalt and hewn stone, offering rare evidence of Jewish continuity in the region.

Avigail Rosenbaum Bracha, field manager of the synagogue area near Mashkof and Tabula Anasta.

"I feel like Michelangelo" – NIS 1M for preserving the ancient fortress of Yehiam

When past meets present: The Nature and Parks Authority team restores the glory of the 900-year-old crusader fortress – complex work funded by the Ya'ara Foundation.

Preservation work at Yehiam Fortress

Police seize second owl in months amid crackdown on illegally held animals

Police have cracked down on illegally held animals over the past several months. Usually the cases include monkeys and lion cubs. 

Israeli police seize illegally held owl in Jerusalem neighborhood, August 10, 2025.

Monkey business in Ramle ends in cement factory capture as crackdown continues

The Nature and Parks Authority said the green monkeys are believed to have been released by private individuals who kept them illegally and then let them go when the responsibilities became too much.

A monkey captured by Israel's Nature and Parks Authority on July 29, 2025

Turtle illegally smuggled onto El Al plane escapes, bites another passenger

The turtle was eventually captured by the flight crew and placed in a safe crate until the plane landed in Israel. 

Turtle illegally smuggled from US escapes on plane, bites passenger.

What are two Lebanese monkeys doing in a house in the Israel's North?

Inspectors from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority collected the monkeys and took them into care.

A baby vervet monkey in Zanzibar, November 2005

Three suspects arrested after illegal animals found in West Bank village

Over the past month, an undercover investigation was conducted by the Modi’in Illit police station and the Nature and Parks Authority’s unit combating illegal hunting.

 Animals found in West Bank investigation on May 14, 2025.

Israel Police, INPA find lemur, parrots, chameleons, stuffed gazelle illegally held near Netanya

The animals were being kept illegally in a private home, and were transferred to INPA custody. This was the first time that authorities had found the critically endangered species of lemur.

 A black lemur found during a raid by Israel Police in Netanya, April 22, 2025.

Remains of missing shark attack victim found, concluding 24-hour search

Israeli media reported that items belonging to the victim have been recovered, but that the swimmer who was attacked by sharks is still missing.

 Search and rescue teams search for a diver which has been missing since yesterday when he was attacked by sharks near the beach in Hadera. April 22, 2025.

Authorities find an additional three monkeys across Israel

One of the monkeys was captured in Lod, one in Rishon Lezion, and one in Nof HaGalil, the Nature and Parks Authority stated.

Israel's Nature and Parks Authority rescue a monkey, April 2025.