By Rachael Risby Raz | International Relations Manager
The Tisch Family Zoo in Jerusalem is also known as the 'Biblical Zoo'. This is because it has a large number of the animal species mentioned in the Bible.
The Persian fallow deer (Dama dama mesopotamica) appears in the Bible as one of the animals which has split hooves and chews its cud, and as such it is listed as one of the seven animals which are permitted for eating. (Deuteronomy, 14:5).
The flesh of the deer is served upon King Solomon’s table.(Kings, 1, 2, 3)
Archeological finds found at Carmel support this hypothesis and prove that the flesh of the deer was a common food source during that period.
The English researcher Tristram reported that he observed fallow deer on his journey from Tiberias to Haifa in 1863, as well as at Mount Tabor and the Upper Galilee in 1866. The green and forested mountains of the Carmel served as a refuge for fallow deer, as it did for other species, until the beginning of the 20th Century.
Then, the deer became extinct as a result of deforestation (as the trees were used for coal and heat), and due to use of various types of pesticides. Until about 1920, deer antlers were available for purchase at markets in Jerusalem and Jordan.
The Persian fallow deer has previously been found in Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Eastern Turkey.
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