2 more rare ibexes found dead after massive acid spill

Two more dead ibexes were found Saturday in Nahal Ashalim, two weeks after a massive spill poured tens of thousands of tons of acid waste through the nature reserve in southern Israel.

The find means that eight of the 26 ibexes believed to live in the area of the southern Judean desert have died since the leak in late June.

“The death of 8 ibexes from this population is a major blow to the ibex population in the area and overall,” Nature and Parks Authority official Gilad Gabay said. “It is painful and frustrating to see to the ibexes and the other wildlife in the area.”

“This blow may lead to continued damage to the flora and fauna in the area, which make take years to rehabilitate,” he added.

The toxic spill was caused when one of the walls of an acid pool collapsed at the Rotem Fertilizers plant, sending the waste gushing out into the nearby wadi.

Although the Nature and Parks Authority is still investigating the cause of the ibexes’ death, it believes there is a very strong possibility the animals died as a result of the chemical spill, which was estimated to have reached a height of four meters high as it poured through the wadi.

Since the acid waste tore through the nature reserve, the Nature and Parks Authority has worked to limit the damage caused by the spill. Among other things, it has worked to distance animals from the infected zones and banned visitors from the area for a year.

It has also warned the cleanup and rehabilitation of the wadi will take years and cost tens of millions of shekels.

Following the incident, the Ministry of Environmental Protection opened a criminal investigation into Rotem Fertilizers.

Israel Chemicals, which owns Rotem Fertilizer, said in a statement earlier this month that it operates with full cooperation and coordination with authorities and pledged to dedicate all its resources to fully rehabilitating the riverbed.