Zoological Centre Tel Aviv-Ramat Gan

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History

The story of the coming into being of the Tel Aviv Zoo consists of two separate stories with a merge as a happy ending.

In 1935 Rabbi Mordecai Schornstein, formerly the chief Rabbi of Copenhagen and an animal lover, fled from Nazi-occupied Europe to British Mandatory Palestine. He purchased a number of animals in Italy while travelling to his new homeland. He opened a pet shop on 15 Shenkin Street and named it 'Gan Hayot' ('zoo' in Hebrew). The birds and mammals in the store soon became a local attraction, and in 1938 he founded a zoo on 65 Hayarkon Street. His hobby became an annoyance to the neighbours, especially after a pair of lions and tigers was donated to the zoo. Due to pressure of these zoo's neighbours, a new compound was built for the zoo in the northern outskirts of the city, which was at that time sparsely populated. In November 1939, the zoo was relocated to this new location and was opened to the public. It became a source of pride for the residents of this first modern Jewish city. Several animals from around the world as well as mammals and birds from the local region were to be found in the zoo's exhibits, including a small aquarium. The zoo was quite successful in breeding flamingos in captivity, one of few in the world at the time. As was published in the Journal of Zoo Animal Medicine, in 1970.

Originally located in an unhabited area of the city, the zoo got surrounded by residential buildings and was close to the city hall, while Tel Aviv expanded. In 1979, the Tel Aviv municipality decided to relocate the municipal zoo. This led to a merge of the municipal zoo and the Zoological centre of Tel Aviv-Ramat Gan. On the deserted site near city hall the Gan Hair up-market shopping center was built. A statue commemorating Rabbi Dr. Schornstein was placed at the entrance to a little garden to the rear of the building, on Hadassah Street.

The Zoological centre of Tel Aviv-Ramat Gan was established in the Ramat Gan national park. In the 1960s, the manager of the national park, Zvi Kirmeier, and Ramat Gan Mayor Abraham Krinitzi decided to expand the park's small zoo. They contacted a wildlife agent in Kenya and began to investigate possibilities. After Krinitzi's death, his successor, Israel Peled, enthusiastically continued to work with Kirmeier on the plan. They even went on a safari in Africa to collect animals for the park. They returned from their expedition with 17 animals and a contract for 200 additional animals to be brought to Israel. In 1973, the animals arrived and the new expanded Zoological centre opened to the general public in 1974 as an African animal park. When the municipal zoo had to be relocated, facilities were built for a zoo in the middle of this African zoological park. In 1980, the zoo in the city centre was closed and the animals moved from the center of Tel Aviv to the more hospitable, humane surroundings of the Ramat Gan Safari.

And so a zoological African park, with a modern zoo in the middle, came into existence which now contains the largest animal collection in the Middle East, some 1,600 animals, representing over 200 species in a park of 100 hectare. In the African savannah park the animals live in conditions similar to their natural habitats. The combined African park and zoo became popularly known as the "Safari". One of the unique aspects of the African park is that a wide variety of species share the same area and can be seen interacting the way they would in the wild. On the road that winds through the open land of the park visitors can drive their own car and observe and enjoy the animals. But when visitors arrive by public transport a minibus will take them around the park.

Most striking is that in the centre of the most densely populated part of Israel, this urban jungle, an open, natural area can be found where zebra, antelopes, and hippopotamuses roam and interact.

The zoo section is home to many animals that are native to Israel and the Middle East, especially endangered species. One example is the sand cat (Felis margarita), a wild cat that is native to Israel and Jordan. As the sand cat is an endangered species the Zoological park of Ramat Gan formed a breeding pool with other Israeli zoos, and is breeding them in cooperation with the Israel Zoo Association and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA). Feasibility of reintroduction of the cats into the wild is under investigation. But as the fox and red wolf population in the Arava has grown significantly it may not be safe to return the small cats to their natural habitat.

In the zoo also animals from other parts of the world can be found, including a family of gorillas and two herds of elephants, African as well as Asian. The pachiderms have adapted well to the Israeli climate, which is reflected in the excellent breeding results. Therefore, Israeli-born elephants can now be found at zoos worldwide.

Improvements to the zoo's facilities is on-going policy. The vision is to get all the animals out of cages, and a change is being made to open, more natural enclosures. Progress is being made, but unfortunately is not as good as could be wished for, because available funding is limited.

The Safari participates in 25 international programmes for endangered species. It is partner in both breeding and reintroduction programmes and in research projects for such animals.

(Source: website Tel Aviv zoo; Nostalgia Sundays-Tel Aviv Zoo by Rachel Neiman, weblog Israelity; Eretz magazine, article on the Zoological Centre of Tel Aviv-Ramat Gan by Heidi J. Gleit)

Visit(s)

10.10.2010

The combination of a safari park, representing African savannah territory, and a regular zoo is interesting and attractive. In the sense that on the one hand you can get the feel of rural Africa while travelling in the park by car, and on the other hand you get the opportunity to see local and global endangered animals wandering around in the zoo. Unfortunately, you will not enjoy the safari park as much as you want to when you do not arrive at the entrance with your own car. As you travel through the park in your own car, you adjust your speed to you own interest and needs, and this is absolutely not the case when you have to use the safari minibus to explore the park. The drivers are in some kind of hurry to bring you either from the safari park entrance to the Zoo in the middle of the park or, after you visited the Zoo at your own pace, from the Zoo to the park's exit again. That is a shame, because the safari park offers great views on the several species that lives together in this savannah-like environment, including the large group of hippopotamuses (at least 18 specimens).

Straight after entering the Zoo in the middle of the safari park it becomes clear that the design of the Zoo is to create a sense of space. The footpaths are wide and not all of the terrain is occupied by enclosures, which together with the trees, the hedges and the grass create an oasis within the city jungle of Tel Aviv. Though it lacks intimacy, like the New Delhi Zoo. The enclosure information plates give an english translation. This is very helpful, while not a lot of foreign visitors read hebrew. There are also plates with good information on the exotic trees that can be seen in the Zoo. The large number of trees, which are in a good and green condition provide the necessary shadow for the animals and visitors, in the hot and sunny Israeli climate.

The distribution of the Zoo's animal collection is a mix of continental grouping and taxonomic grouping, the latter based on taxonomic 'order' or 'family'. So, it happens that from the entrance to the right you walk along the enclosures of the African hunting dog, the striped hyena (both from Africa) and the Israeli wolf, while on the other side of the footpath you can view the Zoo's Australian collection, consisting of kangaroos, wallabies, cassowaries, several species of cockatoos and fruit bats. Then following the walkway you enter the primates section with specimens from Africa, Asia and South America. Further down the road carnivores, like bears, big and small cats, fennec and the honey badgers, can be seen. After this section a very modern part of the Zoo is to be found, with giraffe, Asian and African elephant.

This brings me to the fact that the Zoo is clearly in the transition of getting its animals out of the old-fashioned cages with bars and fences, and keeping them in a more natural environment. These bar-less enclosures have a benefit for both the animals and the visitors. At the moment there are three types of enclosures in the Zoo. Old-fashioned cages, with several primate and carnivore species, large modern bar-less enclosures for primates, carnivores and hoofed animals, and some 'in-between' enclosures of which the cages of the hunting dogs, hyenas and wolves are typical examples. These latter enclosures are large but do not provide a lot of enrichment or hiding places for the animals. The visitors have got excellent opportunities to see the animals, but their view is hindered by wire mesh fences.

The animals which are much to be pitied are the north-European lynx, the serval and the Sumatran tigers. Their cages do not admit natural behaviour to be expressed, and lack hiding places and enrichment. This is in sheer contrast with the Persian leopard enclosure, which is one of the most modern enclosures of the Zoo. Artificial rocks provide different levels for the male and female leopard to observe their territory, they can sharpen their claws at a tree, which in addition can be climbed and provides a high level observation post. The enclosure is surrounded by an artificial rock wall, and visitors can view the leopards through several windows, only.

This contrast between exhibit design does exist also when considering the primate species. There are some modern islands with moats filled with water for the colobus monkeys, the golden headed tamarins, the cotton-topped tamarins, and the baboons. Another beautiful exhibit is the one for the weeper capuchins (Cebus nigrivittatus). The footpath along this enclosure is a bridge, so the visitor looks down at the animals without any fence in between. Next to these great enclosures some cages for lion-tailed macaque, and mandrill exist, which are not very spacious and do remember of exhibits of forty-fifty years ago, except for the enrichment available. Another kind of exhibit is the chimpanzee enclosure. The group of 15 chimps live in an environment which does not provide a lot of enrichment, although it is large and without fences. There is nothing natural in their enclosure and the trees are protected from climbing. The deep moat between public and animals is also equipped with electrical wire, which is a manner of physical fencing much in favour of this zoo's management.

The adjacent gorilla and orangutan enclosures are more or less similar in design, although the concrete background wall of the orangutan exhibit is painted green, which makes it more pleasant to look at.

As said before, the giraffe meadow and both the African and Asian elephant enclosure have a modern design. The enclosures are a bit below surface level and quite large. The wall prevents the animals from breaking out and creates perfect viewing conditions for the visitors.

Finally, it must be said that most of the animals seems to be in perfect condition. Although the enrichment is poor for several species, and especially the Himalayan bears and Syrian brown bears live in a bare environment without any hiding places, the breeding results seem to be good. Eye-catching was the Israeli wolf specimen which had its left hindleg amputated. It has managed to stand ground in this protected environment of the zoo, but would have died in the wild, for sure. A species I was surprised to see in this zoo was the African penguin, because the Israeli climate in the city of Tel Aviv is quite different from the temperate climate of South Africa and Namibia, the normal breeding range of Spheniscus demersus. Nevertheless, the animals seem to do okay in their enclosure which has something installed I have not seen many times in an outdoor enclosure, a fan. But the following text from the International Penguin Conservation Work Group explains my hesitation to accept an Israeli zoo to have penguins at display: "One of the ways in which African Penguins have adapted to terrestrial life in the temperate zone is to confine their activities at breeding sites largely to dawn and dusk periods. Breeding birds nest mostly in burrows or under some other form of shelter, such as boulders and bushes, which provide some protection from the intense solar radiation during the day. Birds that are not incubating or brooding chicks, and other non-breeding birds, spend the day at sea or loaf in beach groups and swim regularly. Some birds do remain in the open (i.e. outside of burrows and other sheltered nests) in the colony; but these birds generally orientate themselves with their backs to the sun so that their feet, flippers and oral surfaces are shaded, thereby facilitating radiation and convective heat loss. Physiological responses to heat stress include panting (evaporative cooling) and moderate hyperthermia."

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Directions

Directions to Zoological Centre Tel Aviv-Ramat Gan, Ramat Gan Safari

Address:
1 Hatzvi Avenue
Ramat Gan
Tel Aviv
Israel

public transport

>> Bus 33 from Reading in Tel Aviv, goes past Ayalon Shopping Mall to the roundabout closest to the Safari park.
>> Bus 31 from Carmelit Tel Aviv via the New Central Bus Station to the roundabout closest to the Safari park.
>> Buses 57,67 from Ayalon Shopping Mall to the roundabout closest to the Safari. Bus 34 from the New Central Bus Station to Aluf Sadeh corner of Rabin Road, change to Bus 33 which goes to the Winter Stadium*.
>> Bus 63 from the Carmelit in Tel Aviv via Dizengoff Center, past Azrieli to Aluf Sadeh.
>> Bus 65 from Ayalon Shopping Mall to Aluf Sadeh**.

*10 minute walk to the Safari gate
** 20 minutes walk to the Safari gate

by bicycle

Nowadays, Tel-O-Fun offers rental bikes in several shops across town (Tel Aviv Yafo). Covering short distances seems easy in the smaller streets where traffic is very slow. If cycling to Ramat Gan Safari Park would also be fun, I doubt it, but to be honest I didn't try - I took the bus from downtown Tel Aviv.

by car

When using car navigation set the GPS address at 46 Raziel, Ramat Gan address of the roundabout before the Safari. There is a sign in the roundabout to turn for the Safari.

Arriving from the north:

via Geha /Highway 4, exit via Aluf Sade, stay in the right lane (left lane goesthrough the underpass). Turn left at the first traffic light onto Bernstein Street. At the first roundabout turn left and go to the end of the street.

Arriving from the south:

Via Geha/Highway 4, exit at Aluf Sadeh, then follow the signs to Tel Aviv/Ramat Gan. Turn left at the T junction towards Tel Aviv/Ramat Gan and get in the right lane. After the large junction under Highway 4 turn Left at the first traffic light to Bernstein Street. Turn left at the first roundabout and go to the end of the street.

Via Coastal Road/Ayalon Highway:

Exit Ayalon at Hashalom (Azrieli Towers). Turn right in the direction of Ramat Gan/Givatayim. Go straight for about 15 minutes. Turn right at Raziel Street, go straight through 2 roundabouts.

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