educational

the wild goat

This beautiful animal, the ibex, is a mountain goat that lives in the Judean Wilderness. It is known for its amazing horns and unbelievable ability to navigate the cliffs of the desert wilderness.

The ibex is mentioned several times in the Bible: The Psalmist (104:18) tells us that the “high mountains belong to the wild goats.” And we read in 1 Samuel 24:1-2 that when Saul was told that David was hiding in the desert of En-Gedi, which means the spring of the young goat, Saul readied 3000 young men to hunt for David “near the crags of the wild goats.” Isaiah (31:21 34:14) also mentions the ibex as one of the animals that dwells in the desert.

On your trip to Israel you will have the chance to look for an Ibex while visiting the Judean Wilderness and the Dead Sea.

To see a video of a herd of ibex crossing the road that runs along Dead Sea, click here. Note that they cross the road at a crosswalk.