Re-introduction of the Persian fallow deer to the northern region of Israel

Summary

The Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica), once ranging across the Middle East but considered extinct by the mid-20th century until two remnant Iranian populations totaling roughly two dozen animals were found in 1956, was rebuilt from a captive-breeding core of two males and five females established in Israel in 1976. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority began reintroducing descendants to the western Galilee's Mediterranean woodland from 1996, selecting the Nahal Kziv reserve from six candidates against 11 criteria and building a permanent habituation enclosure there. Guided by demographic models targeting 125 wild adult females within 7-9 years, the program released about six radio-collared adult females and a similar number of males twice yearly for five years, totaling 57 animals, always culling nearby jackals and feral dogs beforehand; budget cuts and crop-damage complaints then reduced releases to 22 animals over the next five years, with a full pause from 2006 to 2009. A spatial model later identified sequential releases at two connected sites as optimal, leading to a new site at Sasa Ridge from 2013, with about 40 animals released there by 2015 and smaller programs at Mt. Hermon and Mt. Carmel; the wild population now stands at an estimated 200-300 individuals. Released females established stable home ranges within a year, later shifting toward more wooded, gentler terrain, with roads acting as barriers and newer releases settling faster by following earlier-released deer. The project rates itself successful, crediting computer modeling combined with a permanent breeding core for flexible, evidence-based adaptive management.