56 sheep were stolen from the Volcani Institute, including ewes for unique genetic research

56 sheep, including five ewes that were used for unique genetic research, were stolen from the Volcani Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture in what researchers define as a "planned and sophisticated theft." 

According to the indictment, the defendants broke into the institute's facilities at night, breaching the outer fence, took the sheep out of the pens, and gathered them in preparation for loading onto vehicles that had been prepared in advance. The following morning, the institute's workers discovered empty pens, open gates, and signs indicating the theft.

It has been suggested that the motive was financial, among other reasons due to the high demand for sheep ahead of Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice. Investigatiors say the suspects used a truck, a pickup, a trailer, and even fake license plates in an attempt to cover their tracks.

However, beyond the economic damage, the Volcani Institute emphasizes that some of the stolen sheep were part of a genetic research project of unique importance. The theft occurred just one day before the scheduled date for collecting eggs from the research sheep, a central stage in preserving the genetic sequence that had been developed over years.

After the collection of surveillance cameras, communication research, and joint activity of Border Police forces and the Ministry of Agriculture's PATZACH unit, 20 sheep were located in a pen near the home of one of the defendants in Lakiya, in the Negev. Three suspects are already on trial, but a significant part of the flock has not yet been found. At the Volcani Institute, they warn that the damage to the research, which has been built over many years, will be much more difficult to restore.