Biblical Animals Go Wild
Reading in the Bible and other books about the Holy Land in the ancient times reveal a world with many mammal species once living in the region. Nowadays it is hard to believe it to be true judging by the numbers living in Israel. Researches indicated that most of the animals have disappeared due to intensive hunting in the last 70-120 years. Intensive hunting was the side effect of the development of firearms which made it much easier to hunt, therefore changed hunting into massacre.
In the late 1960s, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) decided to embark on its wildlife restoration project. Among the animals once were part of the scenery here were Persian fallow deer, Armenian wild sheep, gazelles, oryx, addaxes, wild asses, as well as birds like vultures, owls and ostriches, all mentioned in the Bible
In order to realize the program two breeding locations were created. One was Hai-Bar(Hebrew for wildlife) Carmel, nestled among Carmel’s wooded hills and the other Hai-Bar Yotveta in the Arava desert some 30 km north of Eilat. While the first is hilly relatively rainy region the other is arid savanna type of a region. Breeding animals were divided accordingly. The deers, gazelles and sheep are kept in the Carmel and oryxes, wild asses(onager) and ostriches in Yotveta. There is an interesting story about the first breeding seed of Persian fallow deer.The Shah had 
agreed to give Israel a number of these beautiful animals from his own breeding program. In a dramatic airlift after the fall of his regime, Israel managed to get four of the deer aboard the last El Al flight out of Tehran. Persian fallow deer are still among the animals protected and nurtured at Hai Bar Carmel.
The re-acclimation process has three main stages. At first, the animals live in reproduction pens, which are built in a place as similar as possible to the environment in which the animals will eventually be released. During the second stage, the best candidates move into a larger penned-in area, where they acclimate to the region where they will be released . The final stage is the release of the animals into the natural world.
Successful reintroductions into the wild have been implemented for some of the species. The original oryx breeding group of eight has grown substantially, allowing for six releases since 1997—three in two sites in the Arava and three in the Negev highlands. The total population in the wild is estimated at about 70. Over thirty onagers (wild ass) were released beginning in 1982 in the Makhtesh Ramon area of the Negev while another 35 remain at the Yotvata reserve. The wild population is currently estimated at over 150. Two releases of the Persian fallow deer have been carried out each year in the Western Galilee, beginning in 1996. The total herd in the wild has reached more than a hundred and fifty, the largest wild population in the world, while some other 150 are held in captivity at the Hai Bar, Jerusalem Biblical Zoo and Hula Reserve. Although the first attempt to release the roe deer in the environs of the Hai-Bar Carmel was not successful due to jackal predation, the release of several individuals in 1997 to the Ramat Hanadiv Park in the southern Carmel has met with success.
Today the main efforts are made to introduce Persian fallow deer in the region of Nahal Sorek (near Jerusalem) where herd of 15 particulars have been released. A decision has been taken that for now the ostriches will not be released. It doesn't matter which way we look at the project it is a grand success. Beyond the scientific success lies its implications to the region and to its people.
Hai-Bar Carmel
Directions:
Hai-Bar Carmel Nature Reserve is 300 meters south of the entrance to Haifa University, on Route 672 (Haifa-Ussiffa). The turnoff into the reserve is opposite the Hurshat Ha\'arbaim forest.
Hours: April – September 8:00-16:00
October - March 8:00 -16:00
Phone: +972.(0)4. 9841750/2
Fax:+972.(0)4. 9843144
Hai-Bar Yotveta
Phone: 972-8-6376018
Hours: Sun-Thu 8:30am-5pm, Fri-Sat 8:30am-4pm
