Jerusalem Bible Zoo

Jerusalem Zoo in the 1940s, probably on Shmuel Ha-Navi Street

The history of the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo begins in September 1940, when a small “living corner” ^{[2] [3]} appeared in Rabbi Cook Street in the city center, which contained a pair of monkeys and a desert monitor lizard . The zoo was founded by Aaron Shulov, a professor of zoology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Mount Scopus . Among the goals of Shulov were: to provide their students with a platform for research; collect animals, reptiles and birds mentioned in the Bible ^{[3] [4]} ; and, as he wrote in 1951, to destroy the “invisible wall” that separated the intellectuals of Mount Scopus and the general public ^[5] .

At the beginning of its existence, the zoo faced several difficulties in connection with its intention to focus on the animals mentioned in the Bible. One of them was that the translation of many names of animals, reptiles and birds in Scripture is often unclear; for example, Nesher ( Hebrew נשר ), usually translated as “eagle”, can also mean “vulture” ^[2] . More importantly, many of the animals mentioned in the Bible in Israel have already become extinct due to excessive hunting, destruction of natural habitats due to the rapid pace of construction and development, the illegal use of poisons by farmers and low birth rates ^[6] Zoo designers decided to go beyond the concept exclusively biblical animals, and also include endangered species around the world ^[2] .

The presence of a living corner gave rise to many complaints from residents of nearby houses, due to smell and noise, as well as the alleged danger posed by escaped animals. Due to complaints, Aaron Shulov, with the help of city authorities, found a new 4.5-hectare site for the zoo on Shmuel Ha-Navi Street, in the area that became known as the “Mandelbaum Gate” between 1948 and 1967. In 1941, the zoo moved to this place. Here, too, the neighbors complained; however, the zoo was located at this site for the next six years ^[2] .

In 1947, the zoo, which at that time numbered 122 animals ^[3] , moved to a plot of land on Mount Scopus, provided by the Hebrew University. He was there from 1947 to 1950. The period of use of this site coincided with the Arab-Israeli war of 1948 . After the outbreak of the war in 1947, the care and feeding of animals was carried out mainly at night, as during the day the zoo workers were a convenient target for snipers. During the siege of Jerusalem, food was in short supply for the city's population; in order to feed carnivores , the zoo staff resorted to hunting stray dogs near garbage dumps. However, many of the carnivores have died; those of animals of other - not dangerous - species that, according to the director, could feed themselves, were released ^{[7] [2]} . As a result, almost the entire collection was lost.

At the end of the war, in accordance with the Israeli-Jordanian ceasefire agreement of 1949, access to Mount Scopus was restricted. The United Nations helped move the zoo ^[2] to a 15-hectare site ^[8] in Givat Komuna, next to the current neighborhoods of Romem and Ezrat Torah in West Jerusalem. According to Shulov, when the zoo arrived in Romeme, there were only two wolves , one hyena , one lion and one leopard ^{[2] [9]} (according to other sources, the zoo kept 18 animals in its collection).

In Romeme, the zoo opened on October 5, 1950 and until 1991 remained there, becoming a favorite Jerusalem institution. About 30 percent of its visitors were members of Haredim families from northern Jerusalem and Muslim families from East Jerusalem - two groups of the population that are usually not involved in cultural events of the city ^[10] . The zoo has grown to 28 hectares and more than 200 species of animals - including most of the 130 biological species mentioned in the Bible , including those that have disappeared in Palestine over the past centuries. Thanks to gifts, an exchange with other zoos and success in breeding, by 1967 the zoo's collection exceeded 500 animals (according to other sources, in two decades the zoo's collection grew to 700 copies). However, during the Six Day War, the zoo suffered again - 110 animals were killed by shrapnel and random bullets ^[3] . Later, the zoo moved to the Jerusalem district of Tel Arz.

The zoo was run by a nonprofit corporation with representatives from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem Municipality, and the Israeli Ministry of Tourism and Education . However, the zoo had little money. Shulov, who resigned as director in 1983 ^[3] , often served as director for free. In addition, it was believed that the zoo was inferior to those of Tel Aviv and Haifa ^[2] .

The mayor of Jerusalem, Teddy Collect , who took office in 1965, became one of the main supporters of the zoo, and fundraisers for him through his Jerusalem Foundation ^[11] . Kollek supported the idea of ​​moving the zoo to a larger site and developing it to the level of an ultra-modern institution - as well as a tourist attraction that would be equally attractive to Jewish , secular and religious, and Arab families ^[12] . Around 1990 (according to other sources, in the early 1980s), with the assistance of the Jerusalem Foundation, the New York Tisch family agreed to pay $ 5 million for a 30 million project cost. Another 10 million was received from the sale of a plot in Romeme, which was transferred for residential construction. The Jerusalem municipality, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, the Jerusalem Foundation and private sponsors also contributed ^[10] . In 1991, the zoo closed its site in Romeme, and in 1993, after two years of repair, its doors reopened again in the Malha Valley, 7 kilometers southwest of the city center ^{[10] [2]} . The preliminary opening of the zoo took place on February 28, 1993; It officially opened on September 9, 1993. ^[13] Now it already had a modern name - Zoological gardens of the Tish family in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, the name Biblical (or New Biblical) zoo remains widespread among the general public ^[7] .

Designed by Miller-Blum & Associates Landscape Architects and built by Moriah Jerusalem Development Corporation ^[13] , the zoo occupies 25 hectares in a valley surrounded by hillsides Malha and Givat Masua ^[14] . A plan was approved to expand its area to 400 hectares ^[15] . The landscape of the park is decorated with trees and shrubs growing in Israel, many of which are mentioned in the Bible.

The zoo is built on two main levels. A motorized train takes visitors along a circular route from the lower to the upper level. The entire park is wheelchair accessible; each train can also have one wheelchair ^[16] .

The central object of the lower level is an artificial lake , which includes two islands on which monkey populations are represented ^[17] . The lake is fed by several pools and waterfalls ^[13] , which start from an artificial waterfall called the “Rock of Moses” (an allusion to the Miriam well, which provided Israelites with water during their 40-year stay in the desert). Water is recycled and pumped back through the underground system into the Rock of Moses ^[10] .

At the western end of the park stands a two-story wooden information center in the form of a boat, which, according to the plan, should resemble Noah's ark . It includes an audience, art gallery, gift shop, snack bar and computer station, providing information about the animals mentioned in the Bible ^[18] .

The zoo contains several eateries and a coffee shop. Picnic tables and benches are scattered throughout the park. There are also gymnastic “jungles” of zoological subjects for children and a sculpture garden, which contains 23 ^[19] phantasmagoric animal sculptures designed by French sculptor Nicky de Saint-Fall , decorated with stones, mirrors and mosaics ^[20] , which are toys for the second purpose for climbing, as well as an underground sculpture of Noah’s Ark, designed by Swiss architect Mario Bott ^{[10] [21]} . Children can also watch 3D films about animals in a small cinema near the entrance to the zoo ^[22] .

The traditional infrastructure of the zoo, consisting of bars and cages, is replaced by open spaces, separated from the public by ditches, ditches , bridges and glass windows; open-air cages are also equipped with closed shelters in case of bad weather ^[10] . The only areas in which the public comes into direct contact with animals are the Land of Lemurs , the “contact pool” at the Wet Side Story, and the children's zoo, where children can touch and feed dwarf goats, sheep , rabbits and guinea pigs .

Animals and birds live in natural environments, from the African savannah to the tropical wet jungle and the underworld of mice and cockroaches. The exposition of the steppe kestrel was designed as a house in the Jerusalem region of Morash , which was originally a large breeding area for these birds ^[23] . To the information index of each animal or bird mentioned in the Bible, a bible verse in Hebrew , Arabic and English has been added ^[24] .

“Behind the scenes” of the zoo there is a medical center for animals with rooms for surgery, recovery and treatment, a laboratory and a quarantine block, where newly arriving animals and animals sent to other zoos are checked for diseases. This medical center serves all animals of the zoo with the exception of elephants, giraffes, rhinos, hippos and bison, which are looked after in the territory of their own expositions ^[25] .

Parking accommodates 500 vehicles ^[10] . In honor of the founder of the zoo, the city named the street running along the zoo, Akharon Shulov Street ^[26] .

The modern leadership of the Jerusalem Zoo, as well as its founders, sets itself the task of the widest possible representation in his collection of animals mentioned in the Bible. The administration is making efforts to maximize the correspondence of the presented species to the biblical text: for example, the Syrian brown bear subspecies, which disappeared in Palestine more than a hundred years ago, is represented in the zoo’s exposition, and instead of the widespread African lion, the Asian lion is included in the collection, since such lions were supposedly found in Palestine 800 years ago ^[27] . Already in the 80s of the XX century, almost all of the 130 animals mentioned in the Bible in one way or another were presented at the zoo ^[28] .

At the beginning of the XXI century, the animal collection of the Jerusalem Zoo contains more than 200 species of animals, and between 2007 and 2009 the number of species represented increased from 208 to 271. In 2009, the zoo's exposition included 68 species of mammals, 28 species of reptiles, 11 species of amphibians, 60 species of fish and more than a hundred species of birds - a total of 2200 specimens ^[29] .

Power Supply

A huge amount of fruits and vegetables consumed daily by the animals of the zoo are supplied free of charge thanks to an agreement reached by Shulov with those Israeli companies that separate tithes from their products in accordance with Jewish law ^[3] . At the time of the Jerusalem Temple of Terum - tithe from agricultural produce - relied Koganim (priests) and their animals. After the destruction of the Temple, the rabbis decided that tithe products cannot be used and must be destroyed. The animals of the Biblical Zoo were symbolically sold to Cohen, so that they could be given tithing products ^{[30] [31]} . The animals of the Biblical Zoo receive almost a ton of the finest fruits and vegetables daily ^[32] through the distribution system run by the local religious council ^[30] . The meat consumed by carnivores is provided by kosher butchers, veterinarians, and fishermen ^[3] . Edible tree branches cut in the park, such as date palms, olives and carob trees, are also used as food ^[33] .

During Passover, the entire zoo is cleared of chametz ^[34] ; animals are fed matzo instead of bakeries, and rice ^[35] .

Wildlife Conservation

The zoo considers its main goal to preserve endangered species ^[36] . This category includes animals mentioned in the Bible that have now disappeared from Israel - such as the Asian lion , the Syrian brown bear, the Asian cheetah, the Nile crocodile and the Iranian doe ^[37] . It also includes endangered species from around the world, such as the Asian elephant , rare macao species ^[37] , corella , ibis and golden marmoset .

To achieve this goal, the zoo is taking measures to breed animals in captivity and, in some cases, to return them to the wild. The Jerusalem Zoo is actively working to reintroduce endangered species in the wild. Thanks to his breeding program, 11 species that have disappeared in Israel have been re-settled in nature reserves across the country - including the Syrian brown bear , addax , white-headed vulture and two types of fallow deer , including [[Iranian fallow deer Dama dama mesopotamica | Iranian fallow deer]] ^{[ 7]} . Thanks to this program, the zoo has successfully increased the number of Iranian fallow deer in Israel. It was believed that this species died out in the 20th century - until in 1956 a small number of fallow deer were found in Iran . In 1978, four of these fallow deer were brought to Israel, and since then their number has increased to several hundred; a large colony for their breeding is located in the Jerusalem Bible Zoo ^[38] . A parallel project to protect the Negev turtles from extinction involves breeding them from artificially incubated eggs ^[39] .

In the National Center for the Artificial Incubation of Predator Eggs, the eggs of birds of prey are incubated, which in Israel either died out or dramatically decreased in numbers from couples bred in captivity ^[39] . The griffon vulture , an endangered species, is an object of active research. The zoo successfully raised mutilated sipes, an enterprise that ornithologists had previously considered impossible, since these birds were unable to balance themselves properly ^[40] . He also used two adult vultures to breed and grow chicks from incubated eggs ^[41] . In addition, the zoo participates in a nationwide breeding program, coordinated by the Israel Department of Nature and Parks, to increase the birth rate of white-headed vultures in the wild ^[42] .

Each time, returning the bird to the wild, the zoo holds a small ceremony. In 1996, for the release of the white-headed vulture, which the zoo named Freedom, he invited the mother of the captured Israeli navigator Ron Arad to participate in the release of the bird ^[43] .

The zoo is considered the world leader in reproductive interventions and is engaged in training in this area ^[44] . The great success achieved by the zoo was the birth in December 2005 of Gaby - the first elephant in Israel conceived through the artificial insemination of an egg ^[45] . Together with a team from the Berlin Institute for Zoo Biology Reproduction Management and Wildlife Research, zoo veterinarians fertilized one of their elephants, Tamar, with sperm obtained from Emmett, a male elephant from the Whipsneyd Zoo in Bedfordshire , England ^[44] . On December 10, 2005, more than 350,000 people in 108 countries watched the six-hour process of Gaby’s birth through live video broadcasting on the zoo’s website ^{[14] [15]} . A baby elephant born as a result lives in one of the zoos in Turkey ^[46] .

A captive breeding program for blind cave shrimp Typhlocaris galilea ^{[47] [48] ​​is being} implemented.

The zoo is also a pioneer in the use of animal birth control. It was the first to use a dart gun to implant a slowly released hormone into the thigh of a female giraffe; she is the daughter of a male giraffe living in a zoo, and inbreeding is undesirable. The zoo uses slowly released hormones to control its populations of chimpanzees and mandrills , the breeding rate of which is too high for the space they occupy; to give animals the opportunity to breed and send family members to other zoos - according to veterinarians, is unreasonable ^[44] .

Newborn animals for which their parents are dangerous or who are ignored by them are raised by veterinary personnel. For example, on December 31, 2008, one of the employees took home a newborn tiger cub, ignored by his mother, in order to raise him and feed him from a bottle ^[49] . A newborn leopard rejected by its mother spent the first three and a half months of its life in the zoo and nights in the homes of veterinarians ^[50] .

The zoo also provides medical care for animals and birds injured in the wild ^[51] . wild animals are either released back into their natural environment (if they are healthy enough), or placed in other zoos. In the late 2000s, an aviary was built for eagle owls , which the zoo nurses, restoring their health ^[39] .

Public Education

Public education is another primary concern of the zoo. According to Shai Doron, director general of the zoo since 1993 ^[52] : “The source of our moral right to exist is to educate our visitors and raise their awareness” ^[14] .

Many Israelis , both Jews and Arabs, are unaccustomed to zoos, and when they see animals presented for viewing, they “fall into euphoria” ^[3] . During peak holiday periods, dozens of zoo employees occupy positions near the enclosures to prevent visitors from throwing food and other items into animals. Animals really love to feast on Bamba - a popular children's snack made from nuts and corn (although it causes diarrhea in monkeys); Other typical shells include bottles, plastic bags, and baby shoes ^[53] . In 1997, a large toucan was found dead in its cage next to pieces of avocado , the famous bird toxin ^[53] . In 2006, the hippo died by swallowing a tennis ball thrown into its aviary ^[54] . Zoo staff claims that over the past decade and a half, public awareness has increased ^[53] .

Thanks to visits as part of school groups, day-care groups, special education groups and summer camps, children receive information about animals and interact with them ^[10] . Educational activities for children — including the zoo’s own youth movement — foster interracial contacts between Jewish and Arab youth ^[55] . The zoo also organizes a traveling seminar called “Pet Mobile”, which brings small animals in cages to schools, hospitals and other objects and an audio system that reproduces sounds made by larger animals ^[56] .

Environmental awareness

The zoo teaches environmentalism through both its expositions and personal examples. Since 1997 ^[57] it has featured an “ecological maze” ^[20] - a short path winding between tall bushes with signs that reflect Israel’s environmental challenges. In the spring of 2010, he launched a water exhibition called “Wet Side Story” worth $ 1.5 million ^[58] , which emphasizes the importance of water conservation, environmental awareness and the water-related challenges facing the Middle East and all regions of the world ^[23] . This exposition presents rare and endangered samples of marine fauna ^[58] in 17 large aquariums and three huge water reservoirs measuring 2 x 4 meters. There is also a “contact pool” in the open air, where visitors can touch and feed koi carps ^[59] .

In accordance with its green policy, the zoo maintains its own wastewater treatment system and uses recycled water to irrigate its gardens. Food and animal waste are mixed with plant material and placed in large compost heaps; compost is used to fertilize trees and recnfhybrjd ^[23] . The zoo sells its organic compost at a gift shop ^[33] . In 2006, receivers were installed next to each diner to collect used drinking plastic bottles, and used batteries are collected in a gift shop ^[51] . To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and traffic, the zoo creates a schedule for the movement of delivery and security vehicles ^[33] .

In 2008, the zoo raised about 100 million shekels to build the first public aquarium in Israel measuring 6,500 square meters next to the zoo ^{[60] [61]} . A new attraction called the Israeli Aquarium was opened to the public in September 2017 near the zoo. The aquarium focuses on marine biotopes of Israel, and talks about the flora and fauna of the four seas ( Red , Mediterranean , Galilee and Dead ) surrounding Israel ^[62] . Despite its proximity to the zoo, it is a separate tourist destination.

At the beginning of the XXI century, the Bible Zoo is one of the main tourist attractions in Israel . According to Dun & Bradstreet ( Dun & Bradstreet Israel ), from 2005 to 2007, he led the list of the most visited tourist destinations in the country, and in 2008, he ranked third after Masada National Park and Caesarea National Park . By 2013, it attracted more than 750,000 visitors annually ^[63] . In 2009, the zoo totaled about 55,000 regular visitors (membership card holders) ^[23] .

The zoo's directorate is making significant efforts to give it a supranational, intercultural significance. Nearly half of the zoo's workers are Palestinians , and its administration purposefully attracts children of Arabs and ultra-orthodox Jews to visit, offering large discounts to these sections of the population. As a result, 40 thousand children from these two population groups visit it annually.

Efforts are also being made to not offend the religious beliefs of visitors. So, when the exposition of the zoo was replenished with an American cloven-hoofed baker , outwardly resembling a pig, which is considered an unclean animal in terms of Judaism and Islam, a shield with an inscription in four languages ​​was placed in his aviary: “This is not a pig!” - and with information about an exotic animal. The shield of the Australian exposition department was also redone, describing the separation of this continent from Asia millions of years ago, which does not coincide with the biblical history of the world ^[64] . In the zoo, kashrut is observed, and on Pesach, animals instead of bread receive matzo products, and birds receive rice ^[65] .

The Jerusalem Bible Zoo participates in national and international research projects in the fields of zoology, biology, and environmental science, and publishes articles in journals and scientific meetings ^{[66] [67] [68] [69] [70]} . Through his Captive Animal Research Foundation, Akharon Shulov, he also provides grants for research on animal welfare and animal husbandry, animal reintroduction, reproduction of endangered species, conservative genetics, and nutrition and medical care for exotic animals ^[71] . The fund is sponsored by the Shulov family, the Association of Friends of the Zoo and the Jerusalem Zoo ^[72] .

The zoo provides its own Gaby Center, located indoors inside the main entrance, for academic seminars and student research. The center was named in memory of Dr. Gabi Eshkara, deputy director general and veterinarian of the zoo for over 17 years, who died in a car accident in 2004. ^[73]

Memberships

The Jerusalem Bible Zoo is a full member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA) ^[74] . The only member of the EAZA Council from Israel, in the season of the year, was the zoo general director Shay Doron ^[75] , while the general curator Shmulik Yedwab has been the coordinator of the EAZA European Endangered Species Program for 1995 White-tailed eagle populations in Europe and Asia ^{[44] [76]} . The zoo is also a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) ^[77] , the Israeli Zoo Association (which it helped to form) ^[78] and the International Species Information System (ISIS) ^[79] .

Veterinary staff are members of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, the European Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians, and the European Zoo Animal Contraception Group ^[80] .

In 2009, a record 738,000 people visited the zoo ^[63] . The zoo is actively working with tourist and school groups, as well as in summer camps. Groups of children with special needs, both Jewish and Arab ^[51] , participate in weekly animal therapy sessions ^[23] . At full load, the park accommodates 11,000 visitors ^[20] .

More than 50 volunteers assist in the functioning of the zoo on a weekly basis ^[81] . The youth movement of the zoo called Tnuat Noah ( Hebrew תנועת נח , “The Movement of Noah”) engages adolescents aged 13-15 in volunteer work in a children's zoo, in a building for small animals and in a section for birds and herbivores ^{[82 ]} . Participants of the movement weekly meet with employees of the zoo, and take part in campaigns and expeditions to nature reserves ^[83] .

In March 2013, the Zoo Guide application for the iPhone and iPad was released, including a GPS navigator operating at the zoo; detailed information about animals (texts, images and audio); and detailed daily feeding and event schedule ^[84]

Special Events

The zoo, which is open daily throughout the year except Yom Kippur , Yom Hashoah and Yom Hashikaron , holds special events on special dates. Tree planting events are an annual tradition on Tu B'Shvat . В оба дня Пурима проходят парады, семейный конкурс костюма и перетягивание каната между всей баскетбольной командой Хапоэль Иерусалим и одним из слонов (слон всегда выигрывает). В израильский День выборов посетителей зоопарка призывают голосовать за своё любимое животное ^[51] В течение лета в предрассветные ночные часы зоопарк устраивает экскурсии для посещения ночных животных. Во время школьных каникул он также проводит джазовые концерты, жонглёрские представления и семинары ^[85] .

Международным Зоологическим Комитетом — главным органом планирования зоопарка, который сформирован из профессионалов в областях сохранения дикой природы, менеджмента зоопарков, образования, туризма и экономики — составлен генеральный план расширения. Сформированы новые планы для образовательного центра и выставки, именуемой Йемеи Береишит (Во Дни Творения), в которой воспроизведены библейские условия и из которой исключено какое бы то ни было современное оборудование, включая сотовые телефоны. Проект стоимостью 30 миллионов долларов будет оплачен частными пожертвованиями ^[14] .