An ibex found its way into a luxury hotel room in Mitzpe Ramon on Wednesday afternoon, going viral on TikTok. The incident was recorded and posted on the platform, amassing more than 2.5 million views and raising questions of how and why this animal felt so comfortable strolling right into a private residence.
In a private suite at the ultra-luxe Beresheet Mitzpe Ramon, an Isrotel collection five-star hotel with hotel rooms that start just over $400 a night, a couple visiting from the United States opened the door to their balcony only to be rushed by an ibex, native to the region. They recorded the incident and posted it on social media, perhaps unaware of just how viral their content would go.
Evan Karzhevsky, who posted the video of her interaction under her TikTok handle EvanLeighK, was enjoying a calm morning before everything changed.
Her caption read "I had just opened the door and this ibex welcomed itself into our room. My husband and I were still in bed. Another video of its fam will follow". In the video, you can hear her husband reacting, asking "what do you even do in a situation like this?"
@evanleighk I had just opened the door and this ibex welcomed itself into our room. My husband and I were still in bed. Another video of its fam will follow #ibex #wildlife #isreal #negev #foryoupage #nubiangoats #wildgoat #nubianibex ♬ original sound - EvanLeighK
When this couple booked their suite, complete with a private terrace and plunge pool for a romantic Negev desert getaway, there was no way they could have anticipated their unwanted visitor.
Routine occurences
According to the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), which runs and operates a field school in Mitzpe Ramon near to the Beresheet hotel, instances like this happen more often than you think.
Omri Salner, SPNI's deputy spokesperson, stated just how often these intrusions have happened recently. "It's been happening a lot. By a lot, I mean at least on a weekly basis," Salner said. "They're doing this at all of the hotels in Mitzpe Ramon. We have a field school there, and they have been showing up looking for food for a while now."
These Nubian ibexes, which are native to the region and live in populations throughout the desert, may make frequent appearances, but they have only gotten more confident in their search for food. While they may be looking for world-renowned cuisine, they will often settle for small items they find that would not quite classify as food; napkins and other trash included.
This early morning interaction is indicative of the food-sourcing issues that this endangered species survives with. The ibex survives off a diet of mainly grasses and leaves. It will also feed on various herbs, shrubs, buds, and even fruit - so what's different in the past year?
Ibexes have become increasingly dependent on food supplied by humans - whether rotten vegetables tossed at the side of the road, or given directly to them - that they have tracked the pattern and can associate people with getting food.
Their search for food and overconfidence in their search has proven to be a dangerous game for these creatures.
Searching for human food is a bad omen for this species
Last month, three Nubian ibexes were found dead in Mitzpe Ramon, and a fourth, then in serious condition, died afterward, in what nature authorities said was probably a case of poisoning.
Five years ago, eight out of a group of 26 ibexes living further north in Israel, in the Judean Desert, were killed when tons of acidic slurry poured into the Ashalim stream near the Dead Sea. Last month, multiple Nubian ibexes were found dead after what SPNI and nature authorities believed to be a case of poisoning.
This makes the already teetering population, which is native to Israel and Jordan, even more vulnerable with less than 1,500 left.