Wildlife Conservation Israel Project #16868

Bring Back Israel's Diving Ducks

by The Tisch Family Zoological Gardens, the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem

Project Report | Jun 30, 2014
There's a whole lot of quacking going on!

By Nicole Wexler | Director of Development

35 adorable ducklings have hatched at the Zoo!

Great news – we’ve had a whole lot of success this year with the Diving Duck conservation program:

35 ducklings have hatched so far this year in the National Egg Incubation Center situated right here at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo!
As part of the pilot release program, 9 ducks were released into the Zoo’s central lake – an open air body of water from where the ducks can fly away if they wish. Unsurprisingly, they chose to stay (who wouldn’t, it’s awesome here at the Zoo!) and are still keeping our cormorants, swans, mallards, pelicans and cranes company.
17 Diving Ducks have been released into the Hula Valley Nature Reserve – a swathe of wetlands in the north of Israel that serves as a haven for millions of migrating birds every year. Israel Nature and Parks Authority rangers have reported back to us on sightings and they all appear to be doing very well.
Closer to Jerusalem, 6 ducks have been released in the Tsor’a Valley.

That’s 32 Diving Ducks returned to the wild in 2014 - we’re simply wild with excitement!

The remaining breeding core reside in our Marsh Aviary Exhibit and we are hopeful that they will continue to produce more adorable ducklings so that we can continue to bring these beautiful and important birds back to Israel’s aquatic habitats.

Thank you all so much for being a part of this project’s success. A significant part of that success will belong to people like you, who believed in this cause from the beginning.

Warm Regards,

The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo Team

A Diving Duck in the Zoo's Marsh Aviary

A duck monitored by INPA rangers in Hula Reserve

Staff members releasing ducks in the Tsor'a Valley

The Tsor'a Valley

Diving Ducks flying to freedom in Tsor'a Valley

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