Saturday, August 7, 2010

Heat loss

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Instead of showing the usual JHDP's cute cats, today I give you our hard reality for Camera-Critters Sunday.

Israel in summer means hot, sunny, and no rain.
But this summer has been abnormally hot.
And this last week has been brutally hot.
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The farm animals are suffering just like the rest of us.
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A report in Ynet (Yediot Aharonot) explains that the extreme heat makes it hard for cows to conceive and this lowers their milk production. By over 20%, in fact!
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The cows get misted with water and have fans blowing on them, but still, as one dairy farmer says, "It's like going around in a leather jacket in the heat of summer."

A million chickens died on the first day of the unprecedented heat wave alone, last Sunday.
Poor chickens.
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Even if the farmers spray the roofs and try to cool the coops, the water runs in above-ground pipes and comes in hot, even the chickens' drinking water.
(Even my water comes boiling into my cold water tap now in my hot little house. )
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Exacerbating the problem is the reduced water allotment that the government gives the farmers. Israel has been in drought for years and we are running out of water.
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The current heatwave is also ripening many fruits before their time.
Like peaches, plums, nectarines, grapes, watermelons.
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Also, there are not enough foreign workers (mainly Thais) to pick the fruit.
Imagine working in the field in the sun or in a hothouse the whole day.
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Sadly, thousands of tons of fruit are being tossed, wasted.
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Let's hope it will cool down soon, in Israel and in all the affected countries.
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16 comments:

  1. Sad to see animals suffering and sadder still that we can feel helpless to change the situation! I am amazed at all that heat in Israel! I didn't realise that this could happen there! Hopefully some of our extensive rain drifts your way soon! If only we could pipe it over to you!

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  2. Poor animals, hope it cools down soon for you all.
    An English Girl Rambles

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  3. People seldom think about this! Great post!
    It's very hot here too and fires are a major problem again.

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  4. Wow, I bet that is full of milk~!

    Great shots!

    MY Critters

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  5. poor animals... hope the rain here goes your way... :p nice post


    -rache

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  6. Since we share similar climates, I know what your talking about. In the city though we spend more time telling folks to check on old people, go to cooling centers and not to leave children and pets in cars. I've never thought about all the ramifications.

    Keep a towel wrapped around your neck and do what the cats do. Look for a concrete/tile floor

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  7. It sounds absolutely miserable over there, I hope you find some cool way to beat the heat and that this heatwave finally breaks soon!

    -----------------------------------
    My photography is available for purchase - visit Around the Island Photography and bring home something beautiful today!

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  8. It sounds dire, Dina. Do as PA says. I wish the animals could do it for themselves; glad they have misters.

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  9. Poor animals. It's important to share stories like this.

    My CC pic is here

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  10. A million chickens? Oh my goodness! That's incredible... and very sad. I'm so sorry. Poor animals.

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  11. Poor animals! These cows look like Dutch cows, which are enjoying their stay in the fields now until October/November when it's getting cold at night.

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  12. Long time ago someone I don't remember wrote that the next war of Israel would be fought for water.
    Now it doesn't seem so unlikely...

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  13. Will keep Israel in prayer.

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  14. Thanks for sharing. It's shocking to think about so much suffering. I am adding you and your country to my prayer list, asking for a turn around from these terrible conditions. Blessings to you all.

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  15. This is harsh reality indeed. I hope things have cooled down a bit for you all... (I went to link my critter for this week and, being in a "future" time zone, did not find it posted yet. But saw your name and came for a look. Sad post, but glad I came.)

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  16. Hi there!
    Nice to have found your blog :)
    Great post, so sad though, didn't realise things were so bad. We often dont think about the animals when things get bad for us.
    Will pray for Israel.
    I've posted my pics here!

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