Jerusalem Biblical Zoo

File:Shulov2.jpg and his wife, Yocheved, holding a python]]

The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo opened in September 1940 as a small "animal corner" on Rabbi Kook Street in central Jerusalem.{{cite web |url=http://www.sbl-site.org/publications/article.aspx?articleId=579 |title=The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo |last=Greenbaum |first=Avraham |date=August 2006 |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=Society of Biblical Literature}}{{cite web |url= https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9B03EFD71639F935A35750C0A965948260 |title=Jerusalem's Modern Ark |last=Kammen |first=Michael |date=6 March 1983 |access-date=28 November 2010 |work=The New York Times}} The zoo was founded by Aharon Shulov, a professor of zoology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus. Among Shulov's goals were to provide a research facility for his students; to gather animals, reptiles and birds mentioned in the Bible;{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hW_fAAAAMAAJ&q=Aharon+Shulov|title=Christian Victory |volume=56 |year=1982 |publisher=The Company |page=6}} and, as he wrote in 1951, to break down the "invisible wall" between the intellectuals on Mount Scopus and the general public.Shulov, Aharon (1980). The Leopard. Jerusalem: The Jerusalem Zoo Educational Series, p. 13. The first animal in the Jerusalem Zoo was a desert monitor which arrived in 1940, brought by a group of British soldiers.[https://www.israelstory.org/episode/maya-german-and-benjamin-fainsod/], Wartime Diaries, Israel Story, 2024, https://www.israelstory.org/episode/maya-german-and-benjamin-fainsod/

Early on, the zoo ran into several difficulties in its decision to focus on animals mentioned in the Bible. For one, the meaning of many names of animals, reptiles and birds in Scriptures is often uncertain; for example, nesher ({{langx|he|נשר}}), commonly translated as "eagle", could also mean "vulture". More significantly, many of the animals mentioned in the Bible are now extinct in Israel due to over-hunting, destruction of natural habitats by rapid construction and development, illegal poisoning by farmers, and low birth rate.{{cite news |url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/religion/7003569.html |title=Doing Noah Proud |last=Grooters |first=Sarah |date=13 May 2010 |access-date=28 November 2010 |newspaper=Houston Chronicle}} Zoo planners decided to branch beyond strictly biblical animals and include worldwide endangered species as well.

File:Jerusalem Biblical Zoo 1940s.jpg]]

The presence of the animal corner generated many complaints from residents in adjoining buildings due to the smell and noise, as well as the perceived danger of animal escapes. Due to the complaints, the zoo relocated in 1941 to a {{convert|4.5|dunam|adj=on}} lot on Shmuel HaNavi Street. Here, too, complaints were heard from the neighbors, but the zoo remained at this site for the next six years.

In 1947 the zoo, which by now had 122 animals, relocated to a plot of land on Mount Scopus provided by Hebrew University. It remained there from 1947 to 1950. Its occupancy coincided with the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the siege of Jerusalem, when food for the city's population was at a premium. Zookeepers resorted to hunting down stray dogs near garbage dumps in order to feed the carnivorous animals. Many of the carnivores died anyway, and other, non-dangerous species had to be released.

File:Teddy Jerusalem Zoo.jpg, named in honor of Jerusalem mayor and zoo fund-raiser Teddy Kollek]]

As part of the Israel–Jordan Armistice Agreements of 1949, access to Mount Scopus was restricted. The United Nations helped the zoo relocate to a {{convert|15|hectare|acre|adj=on}} lot{{cite web |url= http://www.goisrael.com/Tourism_Eng/Articles/Attractions/The+Tisch+Family+Biblical+Zoo.htm |title= The Tisch Family Biblical Zoo |publisher= Israel Ministry of Tourism |access-date=28 November 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101117182422/http://goisrael.com/Tourism_Eng/Articles/Attractions/The+Tisch+Family+Biblical+Zoo.htm |archive-date=17 November 2010 |url-status=dead}} in Givat Komuna, adjacent to the present-day neighborhoods of Romema. According to Shulov, when the zoo arrived in Romema, only two wolves, one hyena, one lion and one leopard were left.Shulov, Aharon (1981). The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb: 40 years of the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo (in Hebrew). Jerusalem: Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, pp. 4–5.

The zoo remained in Romema from 1950 to 1991, becoming a beloved Jerusalem institution. About 30 percent of its attendance came from Haredi families from northern Jerusalem and Muslim families from East Jerusalem—two population groups that normally do not participate in the city's cultural offerings. The zoo grew to {{convert|28|acre|ha}} and more than 200 species, including most of the 130 animals mentioned in the Bible. Thanks to its breeding program, 11 species that had disappeared from Israel were reintroduced into nature reserves around the country, including the Syrian brown bear, the addax, and two types of fallow deer. Through gifts, trades with other zoos, and its success at breeding, the zoo's collection exceeded 500 animals by 1967. During the Six-Day War, however, 110 animals were killed by shrapnel and stray bullets.

The zoo was administered by a nonprofit corporation with representatives from Hebrew University, the Jerusalem Municipality, and the Israeli Ministries of Tourism and Education. From a financial standpoint, however, the zoo had little money. Shulov, who retired as director in 1983, often served as director without pay. The zoo was also considered inferior to the zoos of Tel Aviv and Haifa.

Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek, who took office in 1965, became one of the zoo's main supporters and fundraisers through his Jerusalem Foundation.{{cite news|url=http://www.jpost.com/Home/Article.aspx?id=112016 |title=The Zoo's No. 1 Friend |last=Doron |first=Shai |date=4 February 2007 |access-date=28 November 2010 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post}} Kollek promoted the idea of moving the zoo to a larger location and upgrading it to a state-of-the-art institution, as well as a tourist site that would appeal to secular and religious Jewish families and Arab families alike.{{cite web |url=http://venetec.com/Israel/ |title=Israel |year=2010 |publisher=Price Family Charitable Fund |access-date=28 November 2010 }}{{Dead link|date=September 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Around 1990, under the auspices of the Jerusalem Foundation, the Tisch family of New York agreed to pay $5 million toward the $30 million cost of the project. Another $10 million was raised through sale of the lot in Romema, which was converted to housing. The Jerusalem municipality, the Israel Ministry of Tourism, the Jerusalem Foundation, and private sponsors also contributed.

The zoo closed its site in Romema in 1991 and reopened in the Malha valley, {{convert|7|km}} southwest of the city center, in 1993.

File:Jerusalem Zoo lake.jpg, with the siamang exhibit at left]]

The zoo, renamed the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens in Jerusalem, but still called the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo by the general public, opened for a preview period on 28 February 1993. It officially opened on 9 September 1993.{{cite web |url=http://www.jerusalemzoo.org.il/len/apage/11017.php |title=About the Zoo |publisher=Jerusalem Zoo |year=2010 |access-date=28 November 2010 |archive-date=18 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718211535/http://www.jerusalemzoo.org.il/len/apage/11017.php |url-status=dead }}

Designed by Miller-Blum & Associates Landscape Architects, and constructed by the Moriah Jerusalem Development Corporation, the zoo sits on {{convert|62|acre|ha}} in a valley surrounded by the hillside neighborhoods of Malha and Givat Masua. The park is landscaped with trees and shrubs native to Israel, many of which are mentioned in the Bible.

File:Jerusalem Zoo train.jpg

The zoo is built on two main levels. A motorized train takes visitors on a circular route from the lower level to the upper level. The entire park is wheelchair-accessible; each train can also accommodate one wheelchair.{{cite web |url=http://www.yadsarah.org/index.asp?id=162 |title=The Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem – An Exciting Experience for Everyone |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=Yad Sarah |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317144054/http://www.yadsarah.org/index.asp?id=162 |archive-date=17 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}

The centerpiece of the lower level is an artificial lake which includes two islands of monkey exhibits.{{cite web |url=http://www.jerusalem.muni.il/jer_sys/picture/atarim/site_form_atar_eng.asp?site_id=18&pic_cat=4&icon_cat=6&york_cat=7 |title=Biblical Zoo – The Tisch Family Zoological Gardens |date=22 March 2009 |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=Jerusalem Municipality |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110106121612/http://www.jerusalem.muni.il/jer_sys/picture/atarim/site_form_atar_eng.asp?site_id=18&pic_cat=4&icon_cat=6&york_cat=7 |archive-date=6 January 2011 |url-status=dead}} The lake is fed by a series of pools and waterfalls, beginning at an artificial waterfall called "Moses' Rock" (an allusion to the well of Miriam which provided water for the Israelites during their 40-year sojourn in the desert). Water is recycled and pumped back to Moses' Rock through an underground system.

At the western end of the park stands a two-story, boat-shaped wooden visitor's center meant to resemble Noah's Ark. It contains an auditorium, an art gallery, a gift shop, a snack bar, and computer stations providing information on animals mentioned in the Bible.{{cite news |url=http://www.jposttravel.com/Christianity-in-Israel/Bible-animals.html |title=Bible Animals are Still Found in Israel |last=Hecht |first=Aaron |year=2009 |access-date=28 November 2010 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124063034/http://jposttravel.com/Christianity-in-Israel/Bible-animals.html |archive-date=24 November 2010 |url-status=dead}}

File:Jerusalem Zoo Sculpture Park.jpg in the Noah's Ark Sculpture Park]]

The zoo operates several snack bars and a coffee shop. Picnic tables and benches are situated throughout the park. There is also an animal-themed jungle gym for children and a sculpture garden containing 23{{cite web |url=http://designistdream.com/page/11/ |title=Where the Wild Things Art |date=4 November 2007 |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=designistdream.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709014942/http://designistdream.com/page/11/ |archive-date=9 July 2011}} phantasmagorical animal sculptures decorated with stones, mirrors, and mosaics, which double as climbing toys, designed by French sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle, together with an underground Noah's Ark sculpture designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta.{{cite web |url=http://www.ci.escondido.ca.us/events/califia/chronology.pdf |title=Niki de Saint Phalle Chronology (1930–2002) |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=ci.escondido.ca.us |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101117065506/http://www.ci.escondido.ca.us/events/califia/chronology.pdf |archive-date=17 November 2010}} Children can also view 3D films of animals in a small theater near the entrance to the zoo.{{cite web |url=http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=470 |title=Been There, Done That |year=2010 |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=The Independent Traveler}}

The traditional zoo infrastructure of bars and cages has been replaced by open areas separated from the public by trenches, moats, bridges, and glass windows; outdoor exhibits also have an indoor shelter in case of bad weather.{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=bYsQvLkzRyoC&pg=PA96|title=Born Again |last=Oestermann |first=Richard |publisher=Gefen Books |date=June 1999 |access-date=28 November 2010 |isbn= 978-965-229-214-8 |pages=94–98}} The only areas in which the public has direct contact with the animals are Lemur Land, the "petting pool" at the Wet Side Story aquatic exhibit, and the children's zoo, where children can pet and feed pygmy goats, sheep, rabbits and guinea pigs.

File:Jerusalem Zoo Arabian oryx.jpg roam in an open reserve]]

Animals and birds reside in natural habitats, from an African savannah to a tropical rain forest to the underground world of mice and cockroaches. The lesser kestrel exhibit is designed as a house in Jerusalem's Morasha district, formerly a major nesting ground for these birds. Each animal or bird which is mentioned in the Bible has a biblical verse in Hebrew, Arabic and English appended to its information sign.{{cite web |url=http://ie.askmen.com/top_10/travel_top_ten/44c_travel_top_ten.html |title=Top 10: Zoos – Number 4: Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, Jerusalem, Israel |last=Marks |first=Harry |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=AskMen.com |archive-date=7 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707175123/http://ie.askmen.com/top_10/travel_top_ten/44c_travel_top_ten.html |url-status=dead }}

Behind the scenes, the zoo operates an animal medical center with surgery, recovery and treatment rooms, a laboratory, and a quarantine unit where incoming animals and zoo animals being sent to other zoos are tested for diseases. This medical center cares for all zoo animals except the elephants, giraffes, rhinoceroses, hippopotamus, and bison, which are treated in their own exhibits.{{cite web |url=http://www.jerusalemzoo.org.il/len/apage/11019.php |title=Zoo Hospital |publisher=Jerusalem Zoo |access-date=28 November 2010 |archive-date=8 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208211037/http://jerusalemzoo.org.il/len/apage/11019.php |url-status=dead }}

The parking lot accommodates 500 vehicles. The city named the street astride the zoo Derech Aharon Shulov (Aharon Shulov Way) after the zoo's founder.{{cite web |url=http://www.koogle.co.il/English/Businesses/Zoos--Animal-Farms |title=Zoos and Animal Farms |publisher=koogle.co.il |access-date=28 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091009213241/http://www.koogle.co.il/English/Businesses/Zoos--Animal-Farms |archive-date=9 October 2009 |url-status=dead}}

As of 2009, the zoo housed 2,200 animals representing 271 different species: 60 fish species, 68 mammal species, 28 reptile species, 11 amphibian species, and 104 bird species. Many species were introduced only in the last few years, as the collection numbered 208 species in 2007.

File:Jerusalem Zoo Nubian ibex.jpg at feeding time]]

The massive amount of fruits and vegetables consumed daily by the zoo's animals are acquired free of charge through an agreement Shulov worked out with Israeli companies that tithe their produce in accordance with Jewish law. During the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, terumah, a tithe on agricultural produce, was designated for the kohanim (priests) and their animals. After the destruction of the Temple, the rabbis decreed that the tithed produce could not be used and had to be destroyed. The animals of the Biblical Zoo were symbolically sold to a Kohen so that this tithed produce could be given to them.{{cite web|url=http://ohr.edu/judaism/nature-apikorsas/natur007.htm|title=The Torah Universe: Great Apes and Wild Men|last=Slifkin|first=Nosson|year=1999|publisher=Ohr Somayach International|access-date=28 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629133141/http://ohr.edu/judaism/nature-apikorsas/natur007.htm|archive-date=29 June 2011|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://jewishrootscx.netfirms.com/the_biblical_tithe.htm |title=The Biblical Tithe...Taught Correctly |last=Lyons |first=Craig |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=Jewish Roots |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215161221/http://jewishrootscx.netfirms.com/the_biblical_tithe.htm |archive-date=15 December 2010 |url-status=dead}} The animals of the Biblical Zoo receive nearly a ton of the choicest fruits and vegetables every day{{cite web |url=http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/pleasure-hunting/.premium-1.535221 |title=Animal attraction|first=Ronit|last=Vered|work=Haaretz|date=11 July 2013|access-date=15 September 2013}}(subscription) through a distribution handled by the local religious council. Meat consumed by the carnivores is furnished by kosher butchers, veterinarians, and fishermen. Pruned branches from edible plants in the park, such as date palms, olive trees and carob trees, are also used for fodder.{{cite web |url=http://www.jerusalemzoo.org.il/var/360/312287-104.pdf |title=Green Team |last=Kaufman |first=Dr. Elizabeth |date=June 2009 |publisher=Profile (newsletter of the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens in Jerusalem) |access-date=28 November 2010 |archive-date=11 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211000819/http://www.jerusalemzoo.org.il/var/360/312287-104.pdf |url-status=dead }}

During Passover, the entire zoo is chametz-free.{{cite web |url=http://myrehovot.info/eng/archive/2005_04_01_archive.html |title=Jerusalem Biblical Zoo is Kosher for Passover |last=Burge |first=Beverly |year=2005 |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=myrehovot.info |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525070018/http://myrehovot.info/eng/archive/2005_04_01_archive.html |archive-date=25 May 2012 |url-status=dead }} Four to six weeks before the holiday, the animal feed pellets are switched from wheat-based to rice-based ingredients, and after Passover they are gradually switched back to wheat-based.Kohn, Batya. "The Zoo Doctor". Aim!, 9 Nisan 5777 (5 April 2017), pp. 24–27.

File:Syrian brown bears 01.jpgs at the zoo]]

File:Addax-Jerusalem-Biblical-Zoo-IZE-481b.jpg in the African Yard of the zoo]]

The zoo sees its primary goal as the conservation of endangered species.{{cite web |url=http://jerusalemzoo.org.il/len/apage/11046.php |title=Animal Reintroductions |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=jerusalemzoo.org.il |archive-date=10 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210180148/http://jerusalemzoo.org.il/len/apage/11046.php |url-status=dead }} These include animals mentioned in the Bible which are now extinct in Israel, such as Asiatic lions, Syrian brown bears, Asiatic cheetahs, Nile crocodiles and Persian fallow deer (which has since been reintroduced to Israel), and Arabian leopards, which are critically endangered and on the verge of extinction in Israel.{{cite web |url=http://www.fodors.com/world/africa-and-middle-east/israel/jerusalem/review-190726.html |title=Tisch Family Zoological Gardens |year=2010 |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=Fodor's |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629125748/http://www.fodors.com/world/africa-and-middle-east/israel/jerusalem/review-190726.html |archive-date=29 June 2011 |url-status=dead }} It also includes endangered species worldwide, such as Asian elephants (which historically also lived in the Levant), rare species of macaw, cockatiels, ibises, and golden lion tamarins.

Towards that end, the zoo undertakes to breed animals in captivity and, in some cases, reintroduce them to the wild. Through this program, the zoo has successfully increased the number of Persian fallow deer in Israel. This species was thought to be extinct in the 20th century until a small number of deer were located in Iran in 1956. In 1978, four of these deer were brought to Israel and have since increased to several hundred, with a major breeding colony at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo.{{cite web |url=http://www.aronheller.com/documents/articles/ap/ASAP/asap%20-%20biblical%20zoo.htm |title=At the Zoo, Two-By-Two |last=Heller |first=Aron |date=8 March 2006 |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=Associated Press |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707163112/http://www.aronheller.com/documents/articles/ap/ASAP/asap%20-%20biblical%20zoo.htm |archive-date=7 July 2011 |url-status=dead}} A concurrent project to protect the Negev tortoise from extinction involves breeding from artificially-incubated eggs.

There is a captive breeding programme for the blind cave shrimp Typhlocaris galilea.{{cite journal |title=The biology and ecology of the blind prawn, Typhlocaris galilea Calman (Decapoda, Caridea) |author=M. Tsurnamal |journal=Crustaceana |volume=34 |issue=2 |year=1978 |pages=195–213 |jstor=20103268 |doi=10.1163/156854078X00736}}{{cite web|url=http://www.greenprophet.com/2013/05/blind-shrimp-bible-zoo-jerusalem/|title=Blind Shrimp Spared from Extinction at Bible Zoo in Jerusalem|last=Kloosterman|first=Karin|date=2013-05-06|work=Green Prophet|access-date=6 May 2013}}

At the zoo's National Center for Artificial Incubation of Raptor Eggs, eggs of raptors that are either extinct or severely decimated in Israel are incubated from captive-breeding pairs.{{cite web |url=http://www.jerusalemfoundation.org/uploads/%5Ccoexistence%5Cfrom%20arts%20to%20sports%5Ctisch%20zoological%20gardens%5CZoo%202007%20Annual%20Report.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726062752/http://www.jerusalemfoundation.org/uploads/%5Ccoexistence%5Cfrom%20arts%20to%20sports%5Ctisch%20zoological%20gardens%5CZoo%202007%20Annual%20Report.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 July 2011 |title=Hey Deer, Have You Heard About the Happenings at the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens in 2007? |year=2007 |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=Jerusalem Foundation }} The griffon vulture, an endangered species, is the subject of much research activity. The zoo has successfully mated vultures with crippled wings – a feat that ornithologists previously thought could not be accomplished because these birds could not balance themselves properly.{{cite web |url= http://www.israel21c.org/technology/israeli-scientists-help-vultures-spread-their-wings |title= Israeli scientists help vultures spread their wings |date=6 June 2004 |publisher=Israel21c |access-date=28 November 2010}} It has also used two male vultures to hatch and raise chicks from incubated eggs.{{cite web |url= http://sandiegojewishworld.com/israel/the_golan/gamla_nature_reserve/sd4-7griffon_vulture.htm |title= Preying for peace |publisher=San Diego Jewish Press-Heritage |date=7 April 2000 |access-date=28 November 2010 |last=Harrison |first=Donald H.}} Additionally, the zoo participates in a countrywide breeding program coordinated by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority to increase the birth rate of griffon vultures in the wild.{{cite news |url=http://www.jpost.com/home/article.aspx?id=158327 |title=Waiting in the Wings |last=Pomerantz |first=Batsheva |date=22 October 2009 |access-date=28 November 2010 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post}}

The zoo conducts a small ceremony each time it returns a bird to the wild. In 1996, for the release of a griffon vulture which it named "Freedom", the zoo invited the mother of captured Israeli navigator Ron Arad to help release the bird.{{cite web |url=http://sandiegojewishworld.com/israel/jerusalem/biblical_zoo/19981211-biblical_zoo.htm |title=Judaic Park: S.D. Zoo helps Israel in quest to return biblical animals to the wild |last=Harrison |first=Donald H. |date=11 December 1998 |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=San Diego Jewish Press-Heritage}}

File:Asian Elephant and Baby.JPG (left) with his mother Tamar in the elephant enclosure, January 2007]]

The zoo is considered a world leader and educator in reproductive intervention.{{cite web |url= http://www.israel21c.org/environment/jerusalem-biblical-zoo-a-world-leader-in-protecting-endangered-species |title=Jerusalem Biblical Zoo a World Leader in Protecting Endangered Species |last=Eisen |first=Sarah K. |date=28 June 2007 |publisher=Israel21c}} It achieved a major success in December 2005 with the birth of Gabi, the first elephant conceived in Israel through artificial insemination.{{cite news |url=http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=190086 |title=Israeli 'aid ships' carry 4-legged animals to Turkey |last=Lidman |first=Melanie |date=4 October 2010 |access-date=28 November 2010 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post}} In conjunction with a team from the Reproduction Management Institute for Zoo Biology and Wildlife Research of Berlin, zoo veterinarians impregnated one of their female elephants, Tamar, with sperm obtained from Emmett, a bull elephant in the Whipsnade Animal Park, Bedfordshire, England. On 10 December 2005, Gabi's six-hour birth was viewed by over 350,000 people in 108 countries via live streaming on the zoo's website.

The zoo has also pioneered the use of animal birth control. It was the first to use a dart gun to implant a slow-release hormone into the thigh of a female giraffe; she is the daughter of the zoo's bull giraffe, and inbreeding is inadvisable. The zoo uses slow-release hormones to control its chimpanzee and mandrill populations, which are reproducing too quickly for the space they occupy; letting the animals multiply and sending family members to other zoos is unwise, according to veterinarians.

Newborn animals that are threatened or ignored by their parents are raised by the veterinary staff. On 31 December 2008, for example, a newborn tiger cub ignored by its mother was taken home by a staff member to be bottle-fed.{{cite web |url= http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/jerusalem-biblical-zoo/ |title=One Big Kitten: Tiger cub at the Jerusalem Zoo |date=12 March 2009 |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=zooborns.com}}{{cite web |url=http://www.thewere.com/blog/2009/02/27/week-in-photos-tiger-cub-pancake-race-more/ |title=Feb 27 Week in Photos: Tiger Cub, Pancake Race, More |year=2008 |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=Interesting Things }}{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} A newborn leopard rejected by its mother spent its days at the zoo and nights at veterinarians' homes for its first three and a half months of life.{{cite web |url=http://jawscience.webs.com/aprdrelishevakaufman.htm |title=Dr. Elizabeth (Elisheva) Kaufman |year=2009 |publisher=Jewish Alliance for Women in Science |access-date=28 November 2010 |archive-date=18 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018064003/http://jawscience.webs.com/aprdrelishevakaufman.htm |url-status=dead }}

The zoo also provides medical treatment for animals and birds injured in the wild.{{cite web |url=http://www.jerusalemfoundation.org/uploads/%5Ccoexistence%5Cfrom%20arts%20to%20sports%5Ctisch%20zoological%20gardens%5Cthe%20tisch%20family%20zoo%20-%202006%20report.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726062555/http://www.jerusalemfoundation.org/uploads/%5Ccoexistence%5Cfrom%20arts%20to%20sports%5Ctisch%20zoological%20gardens%5Cthe%20tisch%20family%20zoo%20-%202006%20report.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 July 2011 |title=Tisch Family Zoological Gardens – 2006 Report |publisher=Jerusalem Foundation |year=2006 |access-date=28 November 2010 }} The wildlife is either released back to 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 is nursing back to health.

File:Jerusalem Zoo snake exhibit.jpg behind protective glass.]]

Public education is another prime focus of the zoo. According to Shai Doron, director-general of the zoo since 1993,{{cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/the-human-zoo-1.314357 |title=The Human Zoo |last=Saar |first=Yuval |date=17 September 2010 |newspaper=Haaretz|access-date=28 November 2010}} "Our moral right to exist comes from educating and raising the awareness of our visitors."

Many Israelis, both Jewish and Arab, are not familiar with zoos and get "overexcited" at seeing the animals on display. Dozens of zoo personnel man the displays during peak holiday times to stop visitors from throwing food and other items at the animals. The animals do have a preference for Bamba, the popular children's peanut-and-corn snack (though it gives the monkeys diarrhea); other common projectiles include bottles, plastic bags, and children's shoes.{{cite news |url= http://www.jpost.com/home/article.aspx?id=21496 |title=Beastly Behavior |last=Alexander-Hurst |first=Nina |date=11 May 2006 |access-date=28 November 2010 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post}} In 1997, a toco toucan was found dead in its cage next to pieces of avocado, a known bird toxin. In 2006, a hippopotamus died after swallowing a tennis ball tossed into its enclosure.{{cite news |url=http://www.jpost.com/Home/Article.aspx?id=20914 |title= Hippopotamus swallows ball, dies at Biblical Zoo |date=5 May 2006 |access-date=28 November 2010 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post}} Over the past decade and a half, the zoo staff claims that public awareness has improved.

Through visiting school groups, after-school groups, special-education groups and summer camps, children learn about and interact with the animals. Educational activities for children, including the zoo's own youth movement, promote interracial encounters between Arab and Jewish youth.{{cite web |url=http://www.goisrael.com/Tourism_Eng/Articles/Attractions/The+Tisch+Family+Biblical+Zoo.htm |title=The Tisch Family Biblical Zoo |publisher=Israel Ministry of Tourism |access-date=28 November 2010 |year=2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101117182422/http://goisrael.com/Tourism_Eng/Articles/Attractions/The+Tisch+Family+Biblical+Zoo.htm |archive-date=17 November 2010 |url-status=dead}} The zoo also mounts a traveling workshop called the Zoomobile, which brings small animals in cages and a sound system carrying the sounds of larger animals to schools, hospitals, and other locations.{{cite journal |url=http://www.zoonews.co.uk/IZN/328/IZN-328.htm |title=The Itinerant Ark: Insights from the Wandering Zoo |last=Ben-David |first=Na'ama Y. |volume=50 |issue=7 |date=October–November 2003 |publisher=International Zoo News |access-date=28 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308105615/http://www.zoonews.co.uk/IZN/328/IZN-328.htm |archive-date=8 March 2012 |url-status=dead}}

File:Jerusalem Zoo Wet Side Story.jpg

The zoo teaches environmentalism both in its exhibits and by personal example. Since 1997,Dedication plaque at entrance to ecological maze. it has featured an "ecological maze" – a short path meandering through high bushes with signs that highlight ecological challenges in Israel. In spring 2010 it unveiled a $1.5 million aquatic exhibit called "Wet Side Story"{{cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/everything-but-the-beach-1.291620 |title=Everything but the beach |last=Lis |first=Jonathan |date=23 May 2010 |newspaper=Haaretz |access-date=28 November 2010}} which stresses the importance of water conservation, ecology awareness, and water challenges in the Middle East and around the world. This exhibit displays rare and endangered marine life in 17 large aquariums and three huge water tanks measuring 2 × 4 metres (7 × 14 ft). There is also an outdoor "petting pool" where visitors can touch and feed koi.{{cite web |url=http://www.resistnet.com/group/istandwithisrael/forum/topics/if-pa-declares-state-israel?page=1&commentId=2600775%3AComment%3A1799042&x=1#2600775Comment1799042 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110807162047/http://www.resistnet.com/group/istandwithisrael/forum/topics/if-pa-declares-state-israel?page=1&commentId=2600775:Comment:1799042&x=1%232600775Comment1799042 |url-status=dead|title='Wet Side Story' Opens at Jerusalem Biblical Zoo |last=Julian |first=Hana Levi |date=17 November 2009 |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=resistnet.com |archive-date = 7 August 2011}}

In keeping with its "green" policy, the zoo maintains its own sewage treatment system and uses recycled water to irrigate its gardens. Food and animal waste are mixed with plant material and placed in large compost piles; the compost is used to fertilize the trees and shrubs. The zoo sells its organic compost in the gift shop. In 2006, receptacles for collecting used plastic drink bottles were installed next to each of the snack bars, and used batteries are collected at the gift shop. To reduce carbon emissions and traffic, the zoo schedules the use of delivery and security vehicles.

The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo participates in national and international research projects in the fields of zoology, biology, and environmental science, and publishes papers in journals and at scientific meetings.{{cite journal |title=Feline Central Retinal Degeneration in Captive Cheetahs (Acinonyx Jubatus) |last1=Ofri |first1=Ron |last2=Barishak |first2=Robert Y. |last3=Eshkar |first3=Gabi |last4=Aizenberg |first4=Itzhak |journal=Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=101–108 |date=March 1996 |jstor=20095551}}{{cite journal |url=http://www.mivelle.hu/sambucol/Effect%20in%20Chimpanzees.pdf |title=The Effect of Sambucol on Flu-like Symptoms in Chimpanzees: Prophylactic and symptom-dependent treatment |last1=Burge |first1=Beverly |last2=Mumcuoglu |first2=Madeleine |last3=Simmons |first3=Tal |journal=International Zoo News |volume=46 |issue=1 |year=1999 |pages=16–19 |access-date=28 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721111803/http://www.mivelle.hu/sambucol/Effect%20in%20Chimpanzees.pdf |archive-date=21 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://library.vetmed.fu-berlin.de/resources/global/contents/VET164623/EAZWV/Parijs%20PDF/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20Eshkar.pdf |title=Periodic Recurrent Keratitis in Asian Elephants |last1=Eshkar |first1=G. |last2=Avni-Magen |first2=N. |last3=Ofri |first3=R. |publisher=European Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians, Third Scientific Meeting |date=31 May – 4 June 2000 |access-date=28 November 2010 }}{{Dead link|date=September 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite journal |url=http://lib.bioinfo.pl/pmid:18432106 |title=Use of a sustained release preparation of clotrimazole to treat dermatophytosis in a siamang (Hylobates syndactylus) |last1=Avni-Magen |first1=Nili |last2=Elad |first2=Daniel |last3=Friedman |first3=Michael |last4=Gati |first4=Irith |last5=Kaufman |first5=Elizabeth |last6=Lavy |first6=Eran |journal=Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine |date=March 2008 |volume=39 |issue=1 |pages=115–117 |doi=10.1638/2007-0018.1 |pmid=18432106|s2cid=42233200 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314020546/http://lib.bioinfo.pl/pmid:18432106 |archive-date=14 March 2012 |url-status=dead|url-access=subscription }}{{cite journal |last1=Bakal-Weiss |first1=Meytal |last2=Steinberg |first2=Doron |last3=Friedman |first3=Michael |last4=Gati |first4=Irith |last5=Avni-Magen |first5=Nili |last6=Kaufman |first6=Elizabeth |last7=Lavy |first7=Eran |date=June 2010 |title=Use of a Sustained Release Chlorhexidine Varnish as Treatment of Oral Necrobacillosis in Macropus spp | journal=Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine |volume=41 |issue=2 |pages=371–373 |doi=10.1638/2010-0004.1 |pmid=20597238|s2cid=41018782 }} Through its Aharon Shulov Fund for the Study of Animals in Captivity, it also provides grants for research on animal welfare and husbandry, animal reintroduction, reproduction of endangered species, conservation genetics, and exotic animal nutrition and medical care.{{cite web |url=http://www.jerusalemzoo.org.il/len/apage/11400.php |title=List of research projects |publisher=Jerusalem Biblical Zoo |access-date=28 November 2010 |archive-date=30 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151130202702/http://www.jerusalemzoo.org.il/len/apage/11400.php |url-status=dead }} The Fund is sponsored by Shulov's family, the Friends of the Zoo Association, and the Jerusalem Zoo.{{cite web|url=http://www.jerusalemzoo.org.il/len/apage/11047.php |title=Shulov Fund |publisher=Jerusalem Zoo |access-date=28 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104100521/http://www.jerusalemzoo.org.il/len/apage/11047.php |archive-date= 4 November 2013 }}

The zoo hosts academic seminars and student research at the Gabi Center, located in a {{convert|21|sqft|m2|adj=on}} facility inside the main entrance. The center was named in memory of Dr. Gabi Eshkar, deputy director-general and chief veterinarian of the zoo for over 17 years, who was killed in an automobile accident in 2004.{{cite web |url=http://www.jerusalemzoo.org.il/len/apage/11020.php |title=Gabi Center |publisher=Jerusalem Zoo |access-date=28 November 2010 |archive-date=8 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208211024/http://jerusalemzoo.org.il/len/apage/11020.php |url-status=dead }}

File:Jerusalem Zoo flamingos.jpgs at the zoo]]

The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo is a full member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).{{cite web|url=http://www.eaza.net/membership/Pages/Zoos%20and%20Aquariums.aspx |title=EAZA Member Zoos and Aquariums |year=2010 |publisher=European Association of Zoos and Aquaria |access-date=28 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819151758/http://www.eaza.net/membership/Pages/Zoos%20and%20Aquariums.aspx |archive-date=19 August 2010 }} Zoo director-general Shai Doron is the only EAZA Council Member from Israel in the 2009–2012 season,{{cite web |url=http://www.eaza.net/about/About%20EAZA%20Documents/Council_09-12.pdf |title=Council Members 2009–2012 |publisher=EAZA |access-date=28 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720151033/http://www.eaza.net/about/About%20EAZA%20Documents/Council_09-12.pdf |archive-date=20 July 2011 |url-status=dead}} while general curator Shmulik Yedvab has been EAZA's European Endangered Species Programme project coordinator for the white-tailed sea eagle population of Europe and Asia since 1995.{{cite web|url=http://www.eaza.net/activities/cp/Pages/EEPs.aspx |title=Complete List of EEPs and ESBs |year=2010 |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=EAZA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205074701/http://www.eaza.net/activities/cp/Pages/EEPs.aspx |archive-date= 5 February 2015 }} The zoo is also a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA),{{cite web |url=http://www.waza.org/en/site/zoos-aquariums |title=Member Zoos and Aquariums |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=World Association of Zoos and Aquariums |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215751/http://www.waza.org/en/site/zoos-aquariums |url-status=dead }} the Israel Zoo Association (which it helped form),{{cite journal |url= http://www.eretz.com/NEW/zoo1.shtml |title=Redefining Zoos |last=Gleit |first=Heidi J. |year=2010 |issue=105 |publisher=ERETZ Magazine |access-date=28 November 2010}} and the International Species Information System (ISIS).{{cite web |url=http://forest.up.nic.in/ftikanpur/wltraining/international%20sps%20information%20system.pdf |title=Appendix F – ISIS Members |date=December 2004 |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=International Species Information System |page=37 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721175202/http://forest.up.nic.in/ftikanpur/wltraining/international%20sps%20information%20system.pdf |archive-date=21 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}

Members of the veterinary staff belong to the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, the European Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians, and the European Group on Zoo Animal Contraception.{{cite web |url=http://www.egzac.org/Admin/institutions.aspx |title=Alphabetized Institution List |year=2010 |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=egzac.org |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120730014031/http://www.egzac.org/Admin/institutions.aspx |archive-date=30 July 2012 |url-status=dead}}

File:Jerusalem Zoo petting.jpgs at the children's petting zoo.]]

A record 738,000 people visited the zoo in 2009. The zoo does a brisk business in tourist groups, school groups, and summer camps: over 120,000 visitors arrived in groups in 2009. Included in the total are 63 groups of special-needs children, both Jewish and Arab, who participate in weekly sessions of animal-assisted therapy. Total capacity in the park is 11,000 visitors.{{cite web |url=http://www.afi-hotels.com/Crowne_Plaza_Jerusalem_Attractions |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707093526/http://www.afi-hotels.com/Crowne_Plaza_Jerusalem_Attractions |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 July 2011 |title=Attractions in the Region: Jerusalem Biblical Zoo |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=Crowne Plaza }}

Over 50 volunteers assist zoo operations on a weekly basis.{{cite web |url=http://www.jerusalemzoo.org.il/index.php?lang=en&act=page&id=11049&str=volunteers |title=Volunteering |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=Jerusalem Zoo |archive-date=15 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315105818/http://www.jerusalemzoo.org.il/index.php?lang=en&act=page&id=11049&str=volunteers |url-status=dead }} The zoo's youth movement, called Tnuat Noach ({{langx|he|תנועת נח}}, "Noah's Movement"), involves teens aged 13–15 as volunteers in the children's zoo, small animal building, and bird and herbivores sections.{{cite web |url= http://www.jewishsightseeing.com/israel/jerusalem/jerusalem_zoo/sd7-27-01jerusalem_zoo.htm |title= Zoo names a lake for Ellen Barnett |date=27 July 2001 |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=San Diego Jewish Press-Heritage}} Members meet weekly with zoo staff and participate in hikes and expeditions in nature reserves.{{cite web |url=http://www.jerusalemzoo.org.il/len/apage/11041.php |title=The Zoo Youth Group |access-date=28 November 2010 |publisher=Jerusalem Zoo |archive-date=10 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210175938/http://jerusalemzoo.org.il/len/apage/11041.php |url-status=dead }}

In March 2013 a Zoo Guide application for iPhone and iPad was released, which includes GPS navigation within the zoo, detailed information (written, pictorial and audio) about the animals, and a detailed daily schedule of feedings and events.{{cite web |url=http://www.jerusalemzoo.org.il/len/apage/3208.php |title=Iphone App for the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo! |access-date=29 March 2013 |publisher=Jerusalem Zoo |archive-date=8 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008110906/http://www.jerusalemzoo.org.il/len/apage/3208.php |url-status=dead }}

The zoo, which is open every day of the year except Yom Kippur, Yom HaShoah, and Yom HaZikaron, schedules special activities on selected dates. Tree-planting activities are an annual Tu Bishvat tradition. On both days of Purim there is a parade, a family costume competition, and a tug of war between the entire Hapoel Jerusalem Basketball Team and one of the elephants (the elephant always wins). On Israel's Election Day, zoo goers are encouraged to vote for their favorite animal. During the summer, the zoo conducts tours of nocturnal animals in the wee hours of the night. It also schedules jazz concerts, juggling, and workshops during school vacations.{{cite web |url=http://www.funinjerusalem.com/fun-list-categories/106-biblical-zoo.html49353-kids20with20sheep/?lang=en&font-size=smaller |title=Biblical Zoo |publisher=funinjerusalem.com |date=23 February 2010 |access-date=28 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711054058/http://www.funinjerusalem.com/fun-list-categories/106-biblical-zoo.html49353-kids20with20sheep/?lang=en&font-size=smaller |archive-date=11 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}

The master plan for expansion is drafted by the zoo's main planning body, the International Zoological Committee, which is staffed by professionals in wildlife conservation, zoo management, education, tourism and economics. This committee convened in 1993, before the reopening of the zoo, and again in 1996, when it drafted plans for adding additional animal exhibits and visitor attractions by 2010.

New plans have been drawn up for an educational center and an exhibit called Yemei Bereishit (In the Days of Genesis) which replicates Biblical conditions and excludes all modern devices, including cell phones. The $30 million project will be paid for by private donations.

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{Official website|1=http://www.jerusalemzoo.org/home-english}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110718160655/http://zootorah.com/VirtualTour/zootour.htm Virtual tour of the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo]
• [http://www.gazelle.8m.net/photo3.html Extinct and Endangered Animals in Palestine]

{{Zoos of Israel}}{{Tourism in Jerusalem}}{{authority control}}

Category:Zoos in Israel

Category:1940 establishments in Mandatory Palestine

Category:Buildings and structures in Jerusalem

Category:Animal reintroduction

Category:Tourist attractions in Jerusalem

Category:Educational organizations established in 1940

Category:Zoos established in the 1940s

Category:Bible-themed museums, zoos, and botanical gardens

Category:Hebrew Bible in popular culture