On the night of December 3rd 2014, during works to transfer the Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline, the pipe was
breached. Five million liters of crude oil leaked and quickly spread over the unique one-thousand acres nature reserve – home to the largest population of docras gazelles in the world. The contamination caused immediate damage to hundreds of animals, mainly reptiles and insects. In the long run, the damage is expected to spread to the larger animals and plantation.