Bringing Biblical Deer to the Holy Land

We’re pleased to share an update on the Persian fallow deer following our spring release in March 2025. As part of our ongoing reintroduction efforts, the deer were fitted with advanced solar-powered tracking collars, allowing us to monitor their movements in 15-minute intervals, 24 hours a day.

While the release has yielded promising insights, we also faced difficult challenges. Sadly, two deer were lost within the first two months: one entered the area of Moshav Bar Giora and fell victim to feral dogs; the second, a male, went missing and was later presumed poached after we discovered his cut collar near Nes Harim. These incidents underscore the ongoing threats that reintroduced wildlife face and remind us why your support remains so vital.

On a more hopeful note, the remaining deer have stayed within the Hirbat Beit Atab National Park and Dolev Nature Reserve—close to their release site. We’ve observed a particularly intriguing behavior from two individuals, a male and a female, who have taken to spending time in the gardens at the edge of the nearby village of Nes Harim. While this has brought joy and fascination to many local residents, we are working closely with the community to discourage interaction and prevent habituation, helping the deer retain their natural behaviors and avoid dependency on human environments.

Thank you for your continued support in protecting this rare and majestic species. Your generosity makes this work—and its successes—possible.