An Israeli man from Petah Tikva has been indicted for picking a protected yellow water lily from the Yarkon National Park’s water lily pool. He is charged with damaging and holding onto a protected natural asset.
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The charges against the man, filed with the Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court by the Nature and Parks Authority, say that in May 2020 the young man came to visit the national park. He then entered the water lily pool without authorization and plucked the protected flower.
The indictment also details that the man refused to identify himself to the park’s inspector and refused to stay at the scene. Ultimately, he fled in his vehicle after a short time. On subsequent visits, the accused man was identified by the park’s inspectors and requested to identify himself, but failed to do so – choosing to flee instead.
"The yellow water lily is a unique and protected natural value that is under a severe threat of extinction,” according to the Nature and Parks Authority head prosecutor, Attorney Shai Peretz.
“Significant and substantial resources are invested to preserve this flower and prevent its extinction. The authority will pursue legal action against those who harm rare natural values and disregard legal instructions and instructions made by the authority’s inspectors,” he added.