Hai-Bar Yotvata Nature Reserve

Hai-Bar Yotvata is located in the Yotvata Reserve, 40 kilometers north of Eilat on the Arava Highway, between Kibbutz Yotvata to the north and Kibbutz Samar to the south. The 4,000-acre reserve is in the Yotvata salt marsh. The most common tree in the area is the acacia. Thanks to this tree, the reserve maintains a green savanna-like landscape year round. The acacia’s leaves, flowers, and fruit are an essential source of food for the large herbivorous animals of this desert region. The climate in the Hai-Bar region is characterized by daytime highs in July of up to 47.9º C (118º F); and lows at night in January down to 7.2º C (45º F). Average annual rainfall is an unusually low twenty-five (25) millimeters.

At the turn of the century, when people began to hunt wild animals with automatic weapons, entire animal populations shrunk dramatically and some were eradicated completely. Animals that disappeared from the desert landscape include the Arabian oryx, the onager, and the ostrich. Predators, such as wolves and populations of birds of prey (carrion-eaters) were adversely affected by this and their numbers subsequently were reduced in size.

In the 1960’s, Uri Tzon and Avraham Yoffe organized Hai-Bar, a public non-profit organization. Tzon and Yoffe had two objectives: to reintroduce the types of wild animals that had become extinct both in this region and in this country and to bolster populations of endangered species. Later, the Nature Reserves Authority assumed responsibility for the Hai-Bar. In 1964, the area of the Hai-Bar was fenced in (“the open area”) and the Nature Reserves Authority introduced desert birds and ungulates, some of which are mentioned in the Bible.

In the open area of the Hai-Bar, the staff prepares esert animals for their reintroduction to the wild. The selected animals are placed in acclimation pens in the reintroduction area until their release.

Onager

Ostrich

Oryx

African wild ass

Fox

Caracal

Leopard

Lappet-faced vulture

Fat Sand Rat

Animals in the Open Area

The onager (Equus hemionus) is a brown Asian wild ass. The onager was the first animal to be reintroduced to the Negev; this process was divided into several stages. In the summer, onagers can be spotted congregating around water sources in Makhtesh Ramon and Nahal Paran. During the winter, they isperse over a very large area. The process of reintroducing the onagers to the wild in Israel has been completed.

A herbivorous antelope, the Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) has a white coat and straight sharp horns. It is especially well adapted to the harsh desert conditions. The social structure of the Arabian oryx includes herds of males and females, which travel great distances in search of food and water. The reintroduction of the oryx to the Negev began in 1996; the second stage of the program started in 2003 and is near completion (May 2004).

The two-and-a-half meter tall ostrich (Struthio camelus camelus) is the largest bird alive today. In the mating season, visitors can observe the males with their black and white feathers and their red legs and neck, swaying rhythmically to attract the attention of the gray-feathered females. The Hai-Bar staff hopes to return the ostrich to the Negev in the future.

The scimitar horned oryx (Oryx dammah) and addax (Addax nasomaculatus) are from the region of the Sahara Desert. Since their area of distribution did not include Israel, they will not be restored to the wild in Israel. The scimitar horned oryx and addax are at the Hai-Bar because they are in danger of extinction in their natural environment.

The African wild ass (Equus africanus) is gray with black stripes on its legs. Mentioned in the Bible, along with the onager, as an animal that can be domesticated, the African ass is the forefather of the domestic asses. This species is extremely rare both in nature and in captivity. Because of the small number of African asses in the Hai-Bar, as well as the numerous difficulties involved in propagating the species in captivity and the possibility that this species will mate with domestic asses, the African ass will not be returned to the Negev.

Predators Center

The Predators Center houses representatives of three families of predators: canines, felines, and hyenas.

There are a number of canines at the center. Blanford’s fox (Vulpes cana) was first discovered in Israel in the early 1980s and lives on cliffs and rocks, while the sand fox (Vulpes rueppelli) inhabited primarily the sand dunes. Visitors can also observe the smallest canine in the world, the fennec (Fennecus zerda), whose huge ears help it cool its body in the desert heat, and the largest canine in Israel, the wolf (Canis lupus).

Smaller felines include the sand cat (Felis margarita), which lives in sand dunes. The sand cat’s color serves as camouflage and its legs have characteristic striping. Larger cats include the caracal (Felis caracal), identified by its tufted ears, and the leopard (Panthera pardus), which hunts rock hyrax and ibex. The Predators Center also has three striped hyena (Hyaen hyaena), carrion eaters which serve as nature’s sanitation engineers.

The Center is also home to lizards, agamas, rodents, most species of desert dwelling snakes, and nocturnal and diurnal birds of prey, including carrion eaters. The Predators Center was designed to meet three goals: the reproduction of rare predators, research in conditions of captivity, and education of the public.

In a large cage at the Predators Center, visitors can observe three of the four carrion-eating birds of Israel: the smallest of the vultures, the white and black Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), which uses its thin beak to glean small pieces of meat from the carcass; the Griffith vulture (Gyps Fulvus), a white-ruffed bird with a 2-meter wing pan, which is in the middle of a reintroduction program in Israel, and the largest of the vultures, the Lappet-faced vulture (Torgos tracheliotus). The lappet-faced vulture is the only animal in the Predators Center today that has disappeared from Israel, and there are plans to restore this species to the Arava.

The Desert Night Life Exhibition Hall

Most desert animals are active primarily at night. Because of this, hikers who visit the desert during the day will probably not see the local animals. The Desert Night Life Exhibition Hall reverses night and day. During the day, the conditions simulate nighttime, with low temperatures, high humidity, and special lighting, which evokes the feeling of gentle moonlight. As a result, visitors can observe desert animals when they are active. A wide variety of animals are represented in the hall: insectivorous animals, such as the desert hedgehog (Paraechinus aethiopicus), which moves quickly along the ground; rodents, including the garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus melanurus), which often rests on tree trunks; bats, such as the Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus); small nocturnal birds of prey; reptiles, and arthropods, such as scorpions and beetles.

Tours of the reserve

There are four ways to visit the Hai-Bar:

1. Visit the open area, the Predators Center, and the Desert Night Life Exhibition Hall.
2. Stop only at the Predators Center and the Desert Night Life Exhibition Hall.
3. Attend the evening feeding of the predators.
4. Visit the open area only.

1. The Hai-Bar offers a 45-minute guided tour through the open area in private cars. The tour is given in Hebrew and English; tours in other languages can be arranged in advance. The group meets near the Predators Center, then passes over a cattle guard, designed to keep the animals in. Members of the tour might have the opportunity to observe territorial ostriches, which congregate near the fence, especially during mating season (generally December to March). Visitors proceed to the feeding area, where they will see white addaxes with their twisted spiral horns and brown onagers. After stopping at the area where the ostriches are fed, visitors continue onto another feeding area, where they encounter straight-horned Arabian oryx and more onagers. Ostriches roam throughout the area; the males are black and the females gray. With every “suspicious” movement, the timid gray African asses take off to the east, leaving behind a cloud of dust. Some groups will encounter the small herbivorous dorcas gazelle, the “shiest” of the lot. The group returns to the Predators Center for a tour of the Predators Center.
   In the circular covered walkway, visitors will have the opportunity to observe predators, rodents, birds of prey, and reptiles. The walkway ends at the Desert Night Life Exhibition Hall, which reverses night and day. The visitors enter the hall to observe the different animals, as if at night, their active time. The exit leads directly to the gift shop.
2. Visitors who have less time can stop only at the Predators Center and the Desert Night Life Exhibition Hall (see the second paragraph of Tour A).
3. Visitors who have made arrangements with the Hai-Bar in advance can attend the evening feeding at the Predators Center. Thanks to special lighting, visitors can clearly observe the animals but the animals cannot see the audience. The evening feeding is a unique sight: the predators are extremely active and each one has its own special manner of eating the food provided by a member of the Hai-Bar staff. During holidays and school vacation periods the feeding at the Predators Center is open to the public without special arrangements.
4. Visit the open area only (see the first paragraph of Tour A).

We hope that you enjoy your visit to the reserve and that we will see you soon. We hope you enjoy your visit to the reserve.

Please remember:

• Hai-Bar Yotvata Nature Reserve is not a zoo; it is a unique attempt to restore endangered animals to Israel’s landscape.
• Every stone, plant, and animal is part of the landscape. Do not take anything from the reserve or leave anything behind.
• Animals have the right-of-way.
• There are special paths for visitors. Please stay on them.
• Pay attention to the posted signs.
• Do not leave the tunnel of the Predators Center to go to the animal pens.
• The reserve has its own world of sounds. Please be quiet and listen to the voices of nature around you.
• No pets are allowed in the reserve.
• Please keep the Hai-Bar clean.
• Do not feed the animals.
• Do not smoke where smoking is prohibited.

The rangers will be happy to help you and to answer any questions.

Visiting hours:

The reserve is open daily 8:30-17:00. Visitors can enter the reserve until 16:00. Winter hours 8:30 - 16:00.

Guided tours (by walkie-talkie) in private vehicles: Daily, at regularly scheduled hours, phone for details.

Telephone: 08-637-3057, 08-637-6018 FAX: 08-632-6172 Group tours can be arranged in advance by telephone.