Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 109, January 2014, pp. 1-17.

1 Killing Incidents of Wild Animals in the State of Palestine in 2013 3102 ?????? ??? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ?????? By: Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa There are so many incidents of the killing of wild animals in the State of Palestine. Often we hear or see in the news about the brutal killing or road-kill of wild animals. Some of the wild animals in Palestine are already on the verge of extinction. If the population of animals kept on decreasing, some species will become extinct. One of the problems we are already facing is poaching, and we have to fight against it to save our fauna. We hear and see always brutal and insensitive animal torture incidents happening in Palestine by the villagers and even city-people. Wildlife populations depend on their environment or habitat to receive the basic needs for survival. An ecosystem or habitat provides populations of wildlife with food, water, shelter and space. If all four of these basic needs are not available in a suitable arrangement, populations of wildlife cannot exist (University of Illinois Extension). All populations of living things are interrelated. When one population of animals or plants increases or decreases, other populations of living things is also affected. The amount of suitable habitat for a species of wildlife will determine the number of animals that can survive in the area. Human activity has the greatest impact on the amount and quality of wildlife habitat in Palestine. Wildlife habitat can be destroyed or its quality diminished as a result of urban sprawl, agricultural practices, pollution, sedimentation, or habitat fragmentation (University of Illinois Extension). Many endemic organisms have very specific requirements for their survival that can only be found within a certain ecosystem, resulting in their extinction. This can result in the reduction of genetic diversity and perhaps the production of infertile youths, as these organisms would have a higher possibility of mating with related organisms within their population, or different species (Wikipedia). Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 109 – January 2014