The Israeli mountain gazelle is one of the Holy Land’s most iconic species, so much so that the prophet Daniel named Israel the “Land of the Gazelle”.
King David and King Solomon both loved this beautiful species. It is taught that David’s famous harp was created in the shape of a gazelle’s horns. In the Song of Songs, King Solomon compares G-d to a gazelle.
The Israeli mountain gazelle is only found in this region of the world. Its population peaked in the 1980s with an estimated population of 20,000 individuals and could be commonly seen in northern and central Israel. However, over the last 40 years, the population has seriously declined and now numbers 3,000-6,000. If action is not taken now this iconic species could disappear from the Land of Israel within a few decades.
The Israeli gazelle population declined due to a combination of factors: an increase in predator populations, destruction of gazelle habitats as a result of human development, severe damage caused by hikers and stray dogs to gazelle populations near touristy areas and illegal hunting.
Gazelle Valley Park: Reintroducing Gazelles into the Wild to Save the Species From Extinction
In 1993, a herd of 33 gazelles was trapped inside the Gazelle Valley, a former kibbutz orchard within Jerusalem, due to the construction of the Begin Highway. However, by 2010 only three descendants of the original gazelles remained.
After a huge SPNI public campaign, the Gazelle Valley and its gazelles were saved. In 2015 the Gazelle Valley Park was officially opened as a new municipal park and by 2019, the park's gazelle population was booming, with over 80 gazelles living peacefully within its borders while tens of thousands of visitors came each year to see them. With the wild population of gazelle in danger of extinction SPNI started a new initiative to release around 20 gazelles a year from the Gazelle Valley to strengthen wild populations in Jerusalem and the Golan.
However, releasing gazelles safely into the wild is a complicated process that requires:
- Luring a gazelle into a special fenced-off area
- The gazelle is anesthetized by a trained vet once secure in the fenced-off area
- Conducting a medical examination when the gazelle receives an ear tag and a GPS tracker if available
- While the animal is under anesthesia, transporting it to a pre-release enclosure in its new territory
- Medical monitoring of the gazelle for 10 days while they recover from the anesthetic
- Release of the gazelle into the wild and further monitoring
Over the last five years, this reintroduction project has been a huge success. It's considered the most successful reintroduction for the Israeli mountain gazelle in the world. It costs $2,000 to release a gazelle into the wild and an additional $2,700 to monitor its progress in the wild. With your help we hope to release over 40 gazelles into the wild over the next two years. We are grateful that David and the entire Solomonov family are raising funds as part of his Mitzvah project to support this initiative and help save this iconic species.
About the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel
Founded in 1953, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel is the country’s preeminent environmental organization.
Its advocacy efforts have preserved all of Israel’s open spaces since its founding, including catalyzing the founding of its national parks and marine sanctuaries. Its eco-tourism gets millions of Israelis out into nature every year, the income from which supports its massive country-wide conservation and wildlife protection. Its environmental education programs are provided in schools nationwide as well as at its eleven field schools. SPNI continues to lead the field, addressing climate change with nature-based solutions like our Start-Up Nature project to rewild Israel’s historic wetlands.
Most recently, SPNI created the Nature Heals Initiative which has provided eco-therapy to more than 100,000 Israelis traumatized by the October 7th attacks. The scope and scale of the environmental work of SPNI are unmatched and have shaped the culture of Israeli society, as their motto says, to educate about, love, and protect nature.
