What happens to wildlife when Israel’s roads fall silent on Yom Kippur?

Yom Kippur is one of the most unusual days of the year in Israel, not only socially and religiously, but environmentally. For roughly 24 hours, millions of people stop working, roads empty of cars and much of the country falls into a level of quiet almost unknown in everyday life. But while people stop, nature does not. Wildlife suddenly experiences a dramatic change in its surroundings: less noise, less traffic and less air pollution. So what happens when the cars disappear, and what can that rare quiet teach us about the effect transportation has on wildlife throughout the rest of the year? The impact does not end at the asphalt For animals, the sudden disappearance of traffic can immediately alter their surroundings.