The zoo sits on the slopes of Givat Ram, where the city’s modern hum fades. From here, the view stretches across Jerusalem’s hills, and the air carries the scent of pine and wild herbs. It focuses on the animals that appear in ancient texts—creatures that once roamed these lands when the hills were wilder.
Professor Aharon Shulov, a zoologist at the Hebrew University, started it in the 1940s. He wanted people to see biblical animals not as symbols, but as living beings that had shared this land for millennia. The first collection was small, housed in a garden near the city center. In 1993, it moved to its current location, designed to blend into the natural landscape. Today, the zoo holds biblical species and endangered animals.
Lions, once common in the Judean hills, and leopards, now nearly vanished from the wild, live here. Porcupines, whose quills may have been used for writing in ancient times, and ibexes scaling rocky outcrops like in the days of King David, are part of the collection. Enclosures include signs with scripture alongside animal descriptions. A donkey stands in a shaded pen, a reminder of beasts that carried prophets. Doves flutter in aviaries, their cooing like the birds that once delivered messages.
The zoo avoids concrete and steel. Natural barriers—ravines, boulders, dense thickets—separate animals from visitors. An artificial lake lies at the heart of the zoo, its surface dotted with waterfowl. Pelicans dive for fish, flamingos wade in the shallows, and deer graze along the banks. Benches are scattered along the water’s edge, inviting visitors to sit and watch.
The zoo works to protect endangered species. The Persian leopard, once common in the Negev desert, now lives in Israel almost entirely within these enclosures. Breeding programs help bolster populations, and some animals are released into protected areas. Educational tours explain the balance between human activity and nature, showing how small changes can make a difference.
Early mornings and late afternoons are the best times to visit. The heat eases, and the animals grow more active. Children watch monkeys swing through trees or meerkats stand sentinel at their burrows. Adults linger on shaded paths, listening to the wind through the pines.
A botanical garden runs through the grounds, filled with plants from biblical texts. Olive trees, their gnarled trunks bearing fruit; date palms, their fronds swaying; grapevines, heavy with clusters. The zoo sometimes hosts workshops where visitors can weave baskets from willow branches or press olives into oil—skills passed down for centuries.
A small museum offers a glimpse into the region’s natural history. Fossils of extinct creatures, maps of shifting species ranges, and reconstructions of biblical scenes with animals tell the story of a changing land. The museum is compact but shows the connection between people and the creatures they once lived alongside.
The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo is where history, nature, and culture meet. It’s a place to feel the weight of time in the calls of birds or the rustle of leaves. Many species mentioned in ancient stories are now at risk. Their survival depends on the choices people make today.
