Palestinians Trap Invasive Birds Along Gaza Border
2022-08-30
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1In recent years, Palestinians have taken up bird trapping, or more specifically, parakeet trapping.
2The hunters make money by selling the birds as pets.
3The business is a rare source of income in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since the Hamas group took power 15 years ago.
4The ring-necked parakeet is an invasive species of tropical bird that has spread in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
5The bright green birds with red beaks were most likely first brought to the area as pets.
6In Gaza, they are popular as caged songbirds.
7Khaled al-Najjar is a trapper and father of two children.
8Al-Najjar said of the parakeet, "It's a beautiful bird, and everyone loves it...I catch them to make a living and feed my children."
9The birds live on Israeli farms.
10But when workers come into the fields, the birds fly over the border fence into Gaza.
11The Palestinian trappers on the other side of the fence catch them in nets and other traps.
12The job can be dangerous.
13Israel has established a 300-meter area called a buffer zone along the fence.
14Israeli forces closely watch the border for possible Palestinian invaders.
15Israel and Hamas have fought four wars and several smaller battles over the years.
16Earlier this month Gaza was the site of three days of heavy fighting between Israel and forces of the Islamic Jihad group.
17Last year, Israeli forces shot and killed a bird-trapper.
18Palestinian rights groups say Israelis have shot at several other trappers, also.
19Once trappers capture the birds, they return to Gaza's crowded cities, where they sell the parakeets to pet stores.
20Al-Najjar says he gets around $10 for two parakeets.
21At some pet stores in Gaza, a pair can resell for two times as much.
22There are few rules governing the bird trade in Gaza, where unemployment is around 50 percent.
23Bird trapping has severely reduced the local population of swallows and quail, as well as native species like goldfinches.
24By trapping the parakeets, the hunters might be doing the area a favor.
25The population of invasive parakeets and mynas - a bird of the starling family - has exploded over the past 15 years.
26The growth of invasive species has added to a drop in the populations of local species like the house sparrow and the white-spectacled bulbul.
27In 2019, Israeli researchers published a study that examined data on bird populations.
28They found that 75 percent of the most common species in the country experienced population drop in the fifteen years before.
29During the same time, the study showed, populations of invasive bird species grew at rates as high as 800 percent.
30Abdel Fattah Abd Rabou of the Islamic University of Gaza said the parakeets threaten native birds like hoopoes because they take over their nesting areas.
31The parakeets can also be a pest to farmers by eating grapes and figs, he said.
32For the trappers, and a smaller group of people who catch birds for fun, the activity is a way to pass the time.
33The blockade limits movement into and out of Gaza, which is home to more than 2 million Palestinians.
34Israel says the closures are needed to contain Hamas.
35Palestinians and human rights groups view it as a form of collective punishment.
36"There is no work and there is nothing to fill my time other than hunting," al-Najjar said.
37"In the morning, my children ask me 'where are you going?' I tell them to hunt.
38Pray for me and thank God, who responds to their prayers and provides a living for me."
39I'm John Russell.
1In recent years, Palestinians have taken up bird trapping, or more specifically, parakeet trapping. The hunters make money by selling the birds as pets. The business is a rare source of income in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since the Hamas group took power 15 years ago. 2The ring-necked parakeet is an invasive species of tropical bird that has spread in Israel and the Palestinian territories. The bright green birds with red beaks were most likely first brought to the area as pets. 3In Gaza, they are popular as caged songbirds. 4Khaled al-Najjar is a trapper and father of two children. 5Al-Najjar said of the parakeet, "It's a beautiful bird, and everyone loves it...I catch them to make a living and feed my children." 6The birds live on Israeli farms. But when workers come into the fields, the birds fly over the border fence into Gaza. The Palestinian trappers on the other side of the fence catch them in nets and other traps. 7The job can be dangerous. 8Israel has established a 300-meter area called a buffer zone along the fence. Israeli forces closely watch the border for possible Palestinian invaders. 9Israel and Hamas have fought four wars and several smaller battles over the years. Earlier this month Gaza was the site of three days of heavy fighting between Israel and forces of the Islamic Jihad group. 10Last year, Israeli forces shot and killed a bird-trapper. Palestinian rights groups say Israelis have shot at several other trappers, also. 11Once trappers capture the birds, they return to Gaza's crowded cities, where they sell the parakeets to pet stores. Al-Najjar says he gets around $10 for two parakeets. At some pet stores in Gaza, a pair can resell for two times as much. 12There are few rules governing the bird trade in Gaza, where unemployment is around 50 percent. Bird trapping has severely reduced the local population of swallows and quail, as well as native species like goldfinches. 13By trapping the parakeets, the hunters might be doing the area a favor. The population of invasive parakeets and mynas - a bird of the starling family - has exploded over the past 15 years. 14The growth of invasive species has added to a drop in the populations of local species like the house sparrow and the white-spectacled bulbul. 15In 2019, Israeli researchers published a study that examined data on bird populations. They found that 75 percent of the most common species in the country experienced population drop in the fifteen years before. During the same time, the study showed, populations of invasive bird species grew at rates as high as 800 percent. 16Abdel Fattah Abd Rabou of the Islamic University of Gaza said the parakeets threaten native birds like hoopoes because they take over their nesting areas. The parakeets can also be a pest to farmers by eating grapes and figs, he said. 17For the trappers, and a smaller group of people who catch birds for fun, the activity is a way to pass the time. 18The blockade limits movement into and out of Gaza, which is home to more than 2 million Palestinians. 19Israel says the closures are needed to contain Hamas. 20Palestinians and human rights groups view it as a form of collective punishment. 21"There is no work and there is nothing to fill my time other than hunting," al-Najjar said. 22"In the morning, my children ask me 'where are you going?' I tell them to hunt. Pray for me and thank God, who responds to their prayers and provides a living for me." 23I'm John Russell. 24Fares Akram reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. 25______________________________________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27blockade - n. a restrictive measure designed to obstruct the commerce and communications of a nation 28caged - adj. kept in a cage - a box made of wire or metal bars in which people keep animals or birds 29pest - n. an animal, especially an insect, that causes problems for people especially by damaging crops