Jerusalem Biblical Zoo facts for kids
A black-handed spider monkey swings on a rope over the artificial lake at the zoo
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| Date opened | 1940 |
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| Location | Malha, Jerusalem |
| Land area | 62-acre (25 ha) |
| Coordinates | 31°44′58″N 35°10′37″E / 31.74944°N 35.17694°E |
| No. of animals | 2,200 (as of 2009) |
| No. of species | 271 (as of 2009) |
| Memberships | WAZA, EAZA, IZA, ISIS |
The Tisch Family Zoological Gardens in Jerusalem popularly known as the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, is a zoo located in the Malha neighborhood of Jerusalem, Israel. It is famous for its collection of wildlife many of which are ascribed in the Hebrew Bible, as well as its success in breeding endangered species. According to Dun and Bradstreet, the Biblical Zoo was the most popular tourist attraction in Israel from 2005 to 2007, and logged a record 738,000 visitors in 2009. The zoo had about 55,000 members in 2009.
The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo opened in September 1940 as a small "animal corner" on Rabbi Kook Street in central Jerusalem. 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.
Animal exhibits
The traditional zoo infrastructure of bars and cages has been replaced by open areas separated from the public by trenches, moats, bridges, and glass windows; outdoor exhibits also have an indoor shelter in case of bad weather. 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.
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 also on its information sign.
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.
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.
Images for kids
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Aharon Shulov and his wife, Yocheved, holding a python.
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The zoo in the 1940s, probably on Shmuel HaNavi Street
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Teddy the elephant, named in honor of Jerusalem mayor and zoo fund-raiser Teddy Kollek.
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View of the artificial lake, with the siamang exhibit at left
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The zoo train
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Phantasmagorical sculptures by French sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle in the Noah's Ark Sculpture Park.
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Nubian ibex at feeding time
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Syrian brown bears at the zoo
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Addax in the African Yard of the zoo
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The year-old Gabi (left) with his mother Tamar in the elephant enclosure, January 2007.
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Children view a snake behind protective glass.
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An animated water droplet projected onto a cascade of running water "talks" to visitors at the Wet Side Story aquatic exhibit.
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Flamingos at the zoo
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A boy tries to pet the goats at the children's petting zoo.
See also
In Spanish: Zoológico bíblico de Jerusalén para niños
