Bringing Biblical Deer to the Holy Land

Hello Persian Fallow Deer Supporters! We have a lot to share in this report.

Since the last release of individuals at the Nahal Soreq release site, we have sadly confirmed the loss of one deer. However, our last release also included one pregnant female so we have high hopes that she has given birth in the wild and that the fawn will survive.

Presently, we have 3 females and 7 males ready to be released this winter. The release will probably be sometime in January, depending on the weather and how much green foliage and grass is available (rainfall has been less than usual this fall). We plan to again release a pregnant female.

For the next release we had hoped to have as many as 3 GPS collars which greatly aid tracking and monitoring. We piloted some GPS collars in our last 2 releases. From that experience, we were able to go back to the manufacturer (a local manufacturer here in Israel) with better information on how to customize the collars for use on deer. They have now produced 5 experimental collars specifically intended for use on deer released into the wild including the development of software especially for our purposes. Thanks to a generous private donor, we have been able to afford the cost of all 5 collars for the next release.

If successful, this could produce a huge breakthrough for local wildlife conservation because (a) we will be able to more successfully track both males and females – previously collars could be used only on females; (b) this could lead to the collars being perfected for use in deer; and (c) if successful, production on a larger scale could lead to a significant cost reduction in the future.

So, please send positive thoughts our way and we look forward to reporting back to you again in the coming months. Thank you for being a part of this project– we appreciate your generosity and support!

With warm wishes from -

Team Fallow Deer at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo

Over the summer, our team have continued to track and monitor the deer released into the wild. The good news is that they all appear to be doing well.

In the meantime, we are also planning for the next release in a few months’ time. In that release some of the deer will be fitted with GPS tracking collars (as opposed to the radio telemetry tracking collars that are currently in use). Various collars have been tested over the last year to find one that is both accurate and robust. The advantage of GPS tracking over radio telemetry tracking is that monitoring can be done from a computer terminal and reduces the need for staff to go out into the release area to track the deer physically.

We are also currently recruiting a full time coordinator for this project so that data can be collected, stored and analyzed more speedily and more accurately.

Thank you for being a part of this project– we appreciate your generosity and support!

With warm wishes from -

Team Fallow Deer at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo