Hi-tech millionaire Moshe Yanai has decided to contribute NIS 1 million a year over the next 10 years for research, habitat preservation, bird rescue.
By EHUD ZION WALDOKSHoopoe 311(photo credit: Haggai Aaron)
Israel’s national bird – the hoopoe – will now have a generous fund named after it that will promote bird research and education.Hi-tech millionaire Moshe Yanai will inaugurate the Hoopoe Fund next Tuesday at the annual day-long birdwatching conference of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) and Tel Aviv University.The conference will be held at the university and be open to the public.Yanai has decided to contribute NIS 1 million a year over the next 10 years for research, habitat preservation, bird rescue, bird tracking via satellite, and education.“Promoting education in Israel with an emphasis on technology is my top priority,” Yanai wrote in explaining the initiative. “The purpose of the fund is to promote education and technology, where the birds represent a unique and unusual platform.”The fund will be jointly administered by Yanai, SPNI and TAU.Dr. Yossi Leshem of SPNI and TAU said the fund would further research, preservation and education in Israel.“As a bird superpower, we are committed to their preservation.I call on more businesspeople to join the fund and strengthen our ability to act for the birds of Israel.”About 500 million birds pass over Israel every migration season. There are also more than 500 species of birds that live in Israel year-round, which is quite high for such a small country.
