I visit beehives and get swarmed
A solution to colony collapse disorder? Miriam meets the Black Bear apiary in Israel where they are breeding bees back to their ancestral size.
animals
An Unwelcome Colony? Ring-necked Parakeets Threaten Biodiversity in Jerusalem
A “beautiful nuisance” infiltrates Jerusalem’s German colony. On a recent walk through the German Colony, I was treated to a stunning sight. Filling a tree with their flapping green wings was a flock of eight parakeets, calling raucously to each other and pecking at fat red berries with gusto. Residents of the German Colony (in […]
Where Have All The Iranian Leopards Gone?
Persian Leopards are hurtling towards extinction. While creating promotional mugs and Ts can raise awareness about biodiversity in general, The Iranian Cheetah Society takes on the leopard for measurable results. High vehicle fatality rates and rubbish in the national parks is not all that threatens Iran. That country stands to lose the remaining populations of […]
Jordanian King Goes to War Over Celebratory Gunfire
No more guns for celebrations, says King of Jordan. Men in the Arab world shoot live fire in the air to celebrate weddings, and holidays. But stray bullets from the “festive” ceremony injures and kills people, causes stress, and poses a threat to wildlife. Jordan’s king says no more: Jordanian King Abdullah II has decided […]
Green Prophet Flies To “The Ornithological Society of Kuwait”
A weekly Green Prophet series that looks at the Arabic “green” blogosphere and online communities. After looking at a personal environmental blog from Lebanon , at a Syrian environmental blog that raises environmental awareness among the Syrian public, and at a personal Iraqi environmental blog, we are flying this time to Iraq’s neighbor, Kuwait. Here, we […]
Pollution, Nature Reserve and Sea Turtle Estuary All in One (The Poleg Stream)
Stream to nowhere: The Poleg stops short of the sea during summer months Flowing with our series of Israel’s coastal rivers and streams –– which has included the Kishon River, the Alexander and Yarkon rivers –– we travel to Poleg Stream (or Nahal Poleg), a small stream located by the coastal city of Netanya, 30 […]
Lower Your Pet’s Carbon Pawprint With Home-Made Dog Food Recipes
Pet owners in the Middle East pay lots for imported pet food. Miriam offers recipes for Fido’s food with locally sourced ingredients to keep him healthy, save money, and reduce carbon emissions. A dog somewhere on the street howled pitifully, all day and all night. Neighbors told us that her owner had gone abroad, leaving money […]
Pygmies, Dragons and Hobbits: "Magical Thinking" About Islands Is an Illusion
New studies looking at evolution sees nothing extra-ordinary about island communities. The Middle East region, particularly around Egypt, Israel and Jordan out East to Iraq is known as the cradle of civilization. It is no wonder then that much evolutionary thinking and discoveries are made from this region. More whale bones (and a fossilized whale […]
Owls Unite Arab Farmers in Palestine, Israel and Jordan
Barn owls as biological control. Arab farmers in the Levant use nesting boxes to encourage the owls to move in. This means much less pesticide to control rodents.
World Ocean Day – 6 Tips to Clean the Seas
Don’t dump to the sea! The Middle East can learn from America’s mistakes. This sign to protect oysters and fish, Apalachicola, Florida. Two thirds of the world is water – home to mysterious and life-sustaining organisms. The world’s oceans also serve as a carbon sink, helping maintain a balance as humans upset the balance with […]
Israel Camel Racing May Suffer for Lack of Humps
In Israel Bedouin still joke about the value of a woman “in the price of camels.” Now two Jewish Israelis have joined the tribe, and are looking to save the last of these Mohicans. Camel racing is still a very popular sport in many parts of the Middle East, despite its reputation involved in child […]
More Cities Join Ban on Pet Sales. Euthanasia Down by 35%!
More cities banning the sale of pets in stores, in effort to curb puppy mills and encourage adoption from shelters. As city shelters are buckling under the pressure of countless unwanted pets, and with many US and Canadian pet stores selling pets originating in inhumane puppy mills, more and more cities are enacting laws to […]
Endangered Baboons and Hyenas Rescued from Private Home in Abu Dhabi
One of the hyenas confiscated from a home in Abu Dhabi. Fifteen baboon monkeys and two striped hyenas were rescued by environmental officials from a private home in Abu Dhabi this week. The animals, all listed as endangered species by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), were being held illegally in a […]
Meet Your Garden's Best Friend, The Earthworm
An ode to the earthworm: An earthworm farmer in Israel praises the beauty of the earthworm. Time to grow your own? The earthworm is one of mankind’s best friends. Hard at work 24/7, this lowly creature makes it possible for human and plant life to exist. Without the earthworm over here in the Middle East, […]
Is Willie the Grey Whale Lost or Looking for Club Med? (VIDEO)
“Extinct” grey whale sighted off Israeli coast, 8,000 nautical miles from home. Lost or making a comeback thanks to global warming? (In the above video, Israelis taking the video are calling for Willie to show his/her tail.) Sighting any kind of whale in the Mediterranean Sea is a novelty. But when a whale sighting turns […]