Focus on Israel- Reintroducing Biblical Wildlife

By Simon Griver

Situated at the crossroads of Africa, Asia and Europe, Israel is rich in the flora and fauna of all three continents. But its strategic location has also brought a constant traffic of conquering armies and well-equipped hunters, who destroyed local habitats and decimated wildlife populations. More recently, rapid industrial development and population growth have also threatened fragile eco-systems. As a consequence of all these factors, dozens of animals mentioned in the Bible have disappeared from the countryside and deserts of the Land of Israel. Other species are on the brink of extinction.

Of the large carnivorous animals - such as the lion, bear, leopard and cheetah - which once stalked the region, only a few leopards remain. Most species survived the hunters of the region until the advent of the rifle, although the lion had already disappeared during Crusader times. The last bear sighted in northern Israel was in 1918. Hippopotami too succumbed long ago, but crocodiles survived in the narrow streams leading into the Mediterranean until the early 20th century.

While it is unrealistic to revive the wild population of many of these predatory carnivores, an ambitious program by the Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority (INNPPA) has reintroduced several of the herbivore mammal species that were extirpated in the region. For example, of the nine mammals mentioned in the Bible as fit for consumption - roe deer, Persian fallow deer, gazelle, addax, bison, oryx, wild goat, wild ox and ibex - only the gazelle and the ibex had remained in Israel by the 1960s. the reintroduction into the wild of some of the animals among this group - the fallow deer, roe deer and oryx - was not for the purposes of food. The fallow deer was in danger of extinction in other parts of the world; the oryx was extinct in the wild by 1972; the roe deer had not been seen in the region for more than half a century.

Reintroduction is carried out worldwide in order to increase the range and the likelihood of survival of endangered species. Moreover, reintroduction also raises public awareness about the importance of nature preservation. Finally, in addition to rescuing the wildlife itself, reintroduction is also an effective way to preserve natural habitats.

In 1969, the INNPPA launched its program to reintroduce four species into their former habitats in Israel. A breeding facility, known as Hai Bar (Heb. wildlife), was considered the best way to propagate and prepare the animals targeted for reintroduction. The INNPPA established two such facilities: Hai Bar Carmel, located on Mount Carmel near Haifa is devoted to propagating Mediterranean species such as the fallow deer and the roe deer; Hai Bar Yotvata, located in the Arava Valley (part of the Great Syrian-African Rift Valley), 40 kilometers north of the Red Sea city of Eilat, is devoted to propagating desert species such as the oryx and the onager.

The process of reintroduction is a long-term program involving periodic releases from the Hai Bar. The eventual aim is that the species will exist as a natural and viable population in the wild. By the 1980s, the captive herds in the Hai Bar reserves reached sufficient numbers to make it possible for them to be released into the wild. This was the most sensitive stage of the program and required careful planning and close monitoring to ensure ultimate success.

These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat. The deer and the gazelle, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat and the adax, and the bison, and the wild sheep.
(Deuteronomy 14: 4-5)

The Persian fallow deer is considered to be one of the rarest species of deer in the world; overhunting brought this species to the verge of extinction worldwide. In fact, in the early 1950s it was thought to be extinct, but in 1956 a very small herd, estimated at 25 animals, was discovered in Iran. In 1978, four fallow deer were brought to Israel and placed in Hai Bar Carmel together with two more Persian fallow deer acquired from zoos in Europe the previous year.

The six animals formed the nucleus of a breeding core, and with the care and devotion of the Hai Bar staff, the Persian fallow deer quickly flourished. By 1996, its population had swelled to more than 150, by far the largest herd anywhere in the world. Since that year, ten deer have been transported twice a year from Hai Bar Carmel to a 10-hectare enclosure with rich vegetation within the Kziv Reserve in the Northern Galilee. The animals are kept in the reserve for three months before being released into the neighboring countryside. During the brief period in the enclosure, they become accustomed to their new environment and become independent of artificial feeding.

Before being released, all the females and several males are fitted with radio collars. This enables the INNPPA to track the deer after they are released into the wild. In this manner, the herds progress can be monitored and any factors threatening its existence can be quickly traced. Over the past five years, the INNPPAs experts have been learning how the deer have adjusted to their new environment by studying their patterns of movement and preferred habitat. Based on the data accrued, the INNPPA has been able to improve its reintroduction program, acquire basic information for future management of the Persian fallow deer population, and project the distribution and success of the future wild population. Biologists have also added to what they already knew about the Persian fallow deer: their average weight and height is 150 kilograms and 100 centimeters respectively, their life span about 16 years and their gestation period seven and a half months, producing a single fawn. The first fawns were born in the wild in the spring of 1997.

By the summer of 2000, ten bi-annual releases had taken place, making a total population of more than 100 fallow deer in northern Galilee. An additional 150 deer continue living in Hai Bar Carmel. Estimates are that by the year 2005, there will be nearly 200 fallow deer living in the wild. In 2002, the reintroduction effort will shift to eastern Galilee and the Jerusalem mountains.

As a direct result of this program, Persian fallow deer have been successfully reintroduced to the wild, once again becoming part of the countrys landscape. However, aside from the reintroduced population in Israel, both in the wild and Hai Bar Carmel, there are thought to be no more than 15 Persian fallow deer still alive in the wild in Iran and several hundred more in captivity in zoos worldwide. Therefore, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) still lists this rarest of deer as a critically endangered species.

A common species in Europe, roe deer were last sighted in Israel on Mount Carmel in 1912. Roe deer weigh up to 25 kilograms, have an average height of 65-78 centimeters and live a maximum of 14 years. Gestation period for the female is nine months after which one or two fawns are delivered. The male roe deer is territorial and the female has exclusive home ranges. The animal thrives in the forests and grasslands of temperate Mediterranean zones, and throughout history its speed has made it a challenging target for hunters. But even its biblically-noted swiftness did not enable it to survive the introduction of the rifle to the region.

The solitary nature of roe deer and the high level of antagonistic behavior exhibited towards other members of their own species, makes them difficult to breed in captivity. Large numbers cannot be kept in small enclosed areas, so it was not possible to set up a large breeding core. To overcome this problem, the INNPPA imports roe deer from wild populations in southern Europe, and after a short period of quarantine at Hai Bar Carmel, they are released into the wild.

The site chosen for the reintroduction of roe deer into the wild is the Ramat Hanadiv park on Mount Carmel near Zichron Yaacov. The first release of six females and two males took place in February 1997, a second release of a male and a female took place in March 1998 and a third release of four animals was completed in 1999. Future releases are dependent on the availability of animals from Europe. However, because of the roe deers high rate of reproduction, it is possible that just one or two more releases will be sufficient to establish a population in the wild. All released animals are fitted with radio collars so that their whereabouts can be tracked and their behavior monitored.

The Asiatic wild ass, also known as the onager, is a species from the horse family. The onager has always been associated with the wild because so far it has been impossible to tame or domesticate it, and thus take advantage of its immense speed, strength and stamina. However, hunters succeeded in driving the the species to extinction in Israel and neighboring Syria; the last sighting of an onager in the region was in 1927. It is now listed by the IUCN as an endangered species, though compared to the Persian fallow deer, it exists in relatively large numbers. In Turkmenistan, there are an estimated 5,000 onagers, and a much smaller herd exists in Iran.

Thriving on flat arid lands and steppes, the onager is able to run at great speed and has remarkable stamina. It can also go for three to four days without drinking. Onagers live up to 24 years, weigh 200 kilograms and have a height of 115 centimeters. A single foal is produced after a gestation period of 11 months.

Onagers were first imported into Israel in 1969 from Iran, and placed in Hai Bar Yotvata. Releases into the wild began in 1982 in the Ramon Crater region of the Negev highlands. Over the years, a total of 26 females and 20 males have been released in the vicinity of the Ramon Crater. The reintroduced population was monitored closely until 1996. Based on the data collected from radio collars, numerous scientific papers, magazine articles and TV programs have been produced. Today the reintroduction program is complete and the population in the wild is estimated at over 100 animals in an area of 5000 square kilometers. There are an additional 40 onagers at Hai Bar Yotvata.

He is noble, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns... (Deuteronomy 33:17)

The Arabian white oryx is a large white antelope, often confused with, or compared to, the mythical unicorn because of its impressive long, slim horns. Living for up to 17 years, the average oryx weighs 65 kilograms and reaches a height of 98 centimeters. The gestation period for these mammals is eight and a half months, after which a single young is produced. The oryx cannot run fast, but can defend itself very effectively with its horns.

Unfortunately, its beauty has also been the cause of its near demise. Once abundant throughout the deserts of the Middle East, this majestic animal became a favorite target of desert hunters. By the mid-19th century the oryx that had once roamed the Negev and Sinai deserts had vanished; it was last sighted in the region in Jordan in the 1930s. several of the few remaining oryx were shipped from Saudi Arabia to Phoenix Zoo in the early 1960s, as a founder group for a captive herd. Like the Persian fallow deer, this animal is now listed by the IUCN as a critically endangered species.

Being restricted to claustrophobic enclosures was a particular tragedy for this animal, which loves the wide-open spaces of the desert. The oryx is known for its ability to roam great distances in search of food and water. Nomadic in nature, a herd can cover an area of 2,000 square kilometers annually. The animals can survive in the most arid of environments - regions with less than 50 millimeters average annual rainfall; it has been observed surviving many months without drinking, and remarkably can detect rainfall up to 100 kilometers away.

In 1978, the INNPPA purchased eight Arabian oryx (four males and four females) from Phoenix Zoo. These animals became the founders of a breeding core at Hai Bar Yotvata. Here they bred well, and by 1996 the herd numbered 80 animals. The site chosen for the reintroduction of the oryx was the Shahak Spring in the Northern Arava Valley. A 10-hectare enclosure was constructed around the spring and in March 1997, 21 animals were released into the wild after spending several months in the enclosure. A further eleven animals were released in 1998.

Most females and several males are radio-collared before their release. In addition, two females carry satellite transmitters to enable the relocation of the herd in the case of long-range movements, which could involve distances of up to 100 kilometers in one night. However, the released herd appears to have established a stable home range in the vicinity of the site of the initial reintroduction. Within the first two years in the wild, there were eight births and all the young survived.

The INNPPA is planning several more releases in the coming years in the central and western Negev. The process is expected to end in 2004, by which time it is hoped there will be over 100 animals in the wild.

In addition to the reintroduction program, the INNPPA has saved the ibex from extinction, using several of its nature reserves in the south of the country. The image of this attractive mountain goat is even used by the INNPPA in its logo. The ibex has thrived in recent years; it is estimated that there are now more than 1,000 ibexes in southern Israel, living either in or near reserves, or in the wild.

The INNPPA is also helping to save the Negev lappet-faced vulture. Poisoned by pesticides and electrocuted by power lines, these birds became extinct in the wild in 1989, and only a dozen exist in captivity. A vulture breeding station has been set up in Avdat in the Negev, and the birds will soon be reintroduced into the wild where, in addition to foraging for themselves, they will be able to eat at twenty strategically located feeding stations. The conservation project is being funded by the INNPPA, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) and the Israel Electric Corporation.