Sinai and Negev Predator Traps Israel

Submitted by Motist on Sunday, 11 June 2006 Page Views: 9450

Country: Israel

**Wadi Botem Predator's Trap** submitted by Motist : Israel: In the southern Negev and Sinai desert +- 50 traps where found ,the oldest dated to Pre Pottery Neolithic. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Since the Pottery Neolithic era (beginning 5500 BCE) and with the domestication of grazing animals, the inhabitants of the Sinai and the Negev deserts needed to protect their livestock from nocturnal predators which caused much damage.

The Sinai Leopard, the Karacal (a cat similar to the Lynx but smaller), and the desert Wolf were a real threat, so the stone predator’s trap was invented. Predator traps are found in the Sinai and Negev deserts and probably in the Sahara, though there is no data on the later.

The function of the stone trap is simple: They were built from flag stones near habitations and camps. The floor was paved in an area covering about 2 metres by 1.5 metres to avoid the predator digging its way out. Two vertical elongated walls about 2.5 metres long and about 0.80 metres high were erected with inside distances of approximate 50 metres at the entrance and getting wider further inside to prevent the predator from turning. It was sealed in one end and covered with horizontal flag stones, with just a gap at the entrance side.

A closing flagstone covered the 'roof' and was attached to a rope, the other end of the rope being attached to a chunk of meat which was placed at the far end inside the trap. When the predator pulled the meat, the flag stone would slide into the gap trapping the predator inside.

Different sizes of traps were found from different eras.
It's hard to date the traps but normally they are dated according to the date of the site near by. The trap described above is accepted as the oldest and was probably used to trap the Sinai Leopard. The smaller ones were for the desert Wolf and the Karacal.

The Sinai Leopard is on edge of extinction in Israel. In the Sinai there are no more Sinai Leopards, the photo for the article having been taken by a friend in the wild of the Negev highland.

Contributor Bio for Motist: Moti Shem Tov Tours Info I operate tailor made tours for small groups and individuals in the Negev and Judean deserts.

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