About the project
The Tisch Family Zoological Gardens in Jerusalem-The Biblical Zoo is one of the city’s most well-frequented sites, with more than a half million visitors annually. The zoo comprises the city’s largest open space, measuring more than 55 acres. The zoo was designed according to the highest international standards by Miller-Blum following more than a decade of environmental planning. Preservation of the area’s ecological balance was a top priority; no earth was added or removed from the vicinity and the rocky slopes on which the zoo was built retain their original rustic quality. Animal enclosures were dug directly into the rock face of the hills to be as natural as possible.The central geographic feature of the zoo is a system of waterfalls and lakes containing several islands, one of which is home to free roaming small monkeys. The zoo is home to more than 1,000 individual animals comprising 185 species, as well as aviaries for tropical, marsh and predatory birds.The Jerusalem Foundation has supported the acquisition of many animals and the construction of numerous animal enclosures since the zoo’s opening in 1993, including: the Sarah Haefner Elephant House & Enclosure, the Else Arnold South American Yard, the Taubman Siamang Monkey Island, the Bible Land Wildlife Preserve, the Pritzker Children’s Zoo, the Gideon Rafael Memorial Deer Garden and the Zaidenberg Penguin Exhibit. It has created facilities and programs to maintain the health and well-being of the animals, including the Phyllis & Otto Frey Animal Medical Center, and the Persian Fallow Deer Conservation Project, which raises deer for re-release into their natural habitat. It has created many facilities to increase visitor enjoyment, including obeservation points, picnic areas and the ever-popular zoo train. And it has supported the zoo’s educational programs by building the Abby & Emily Rapoport Ark Information Center, which offers computer games, art exhibits and films within a handicapped accessible Noah
