Qalqilya Zoo
Encyclopedia
Qalqilya Zoo is a small 2 hectares (4.9 acre) zoo
in the Palestinian
farming city of Qalqilya
on the western edge of the West Bank
. Established in 1986, it is the only municipal zoo in the West Bank.
Considered the foremost tourist attraction in Qalqilya, there are about 170 animals at the zoo, which also houses a Natural History Museum, children's entertainment park, and on-site restaurant. Before the Israeli military closure
of the West Bank and the encirclement of Qalqilya by the Israeli West Bank barrier
, there was an average of 3,000 visitors per year. The numbers have since dropped significantly, though the site remains locally popular.
with Israel
. Israeli zoos helped to stock it and it was designed to be a symbol of Arab-Israeli cooperation. When it opened in 1986, the zoo was considered "a jewel in the crown of Palestinian national institutions". Maarouf Zahran, Qalqilya's mayor in 2004, said that in its early days the zoo was so popular that it was expanded by the municipality to accommodate the increasing flow of visitors.
Before the construction of the separation barrier, which completely encircles the town of Qalqilya, both Israelis and Palestinians from other areas were visitors to the zoo. Before the Second Intifada began in 2000, visitors came from as far away as the Gaza Strip
. Once it started, Palestinians from outside Qalqilya were prevented from visiting, until 2003, when Israel began allowing group visits arranged in advance. Israelis require special permission to visit Qaqilya since the barrier's construction, and the hundreds of checkpoints between Palestinian villages in the West Bank mean that many Palestinians are prevented from visiting as well. Before the restrictions on travel, annual revenues had totalled 600,000 Cdn
a year, but in 2003, revenues were one-third that amount.
The zoo's survival is attributed to "the hard work and dedication of its resident veterinarian, Dr Sami Khadr, and his team of staff". Like the population of the town of Qalqilya, it has see tough times during the Second Intifada. A Palestinian child playing outside the main entrance of the zoo on a public holiday was killed by indiscriminate fire which discouraged visitors there for some time.
Some of the zoo's animals were casualties of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
between 2000 and 2004, and could not be replaced because of the restrictions on movement and financial difficulties. Brownie, a male giraffe purchased from South Africa
for 19,500 Cdn, died after running into a pole while trying to escape the sound of gunfire. Ruti, his pregnant partner who was traumatized by his death, miscarried her baby 10 days later. Three zebras, purchased for 2,600 Cdn each, died after inhaling tear gas during a 2002 demonstration at a high school adjacent to the zoo. Khader came up with creative solutions to continue entertaining and educating visitors. With knowledge of taxidermy
, he decided to preserve some of the animals, including Brownie, his unborn calf, the zebras, a monkey, wildcats and snakes.
Since its inception, the zoo has benefited from the help of Motke Levison, an Israeli veterinarian, who consults with Khader by phone and meets him in neutral locations to deliver emergency medical supplies for animals. Because of this belief in the zoo's importance to the people and children of Qalqilya and the West Bank, Levison approached the Israeli Association of Zoos to develop an assistance plan to deliver new animals to the zoo.
Three lions, three ibex desert goats and two zebras were donated by the Ramat Gan Safari park in September 2004.
The three lions, which are castrated and were being shunned by other lions in the Ramat Gan park, were originally supposed to have been transferred to Qalqilya in 2000, but the outbreak of the Second Intifada delayed the delivery. Saeed Daoud, director of the Qalqilya Zoo, dubbed the three lions, who were named Jafer, Jaras and Naboko, "the kings of peace."
The other animals were sent as a gift to help replace the animals killed during Israeli army raids, including the zebras who succumbed to tear gas inhalation. According to Khadr, the Ramat Gan zoo had also sent monkeys, an ostrich, and raccoons in prior deliveries during the intifada. He noted his pleasure that unlike the ostrich, who was held up at the checkpoint entrance to the town for hours, this larger delivery was allowed through without delay.
The zoo is described in an article in The Guardian
in December 2003 as "one of the West Bank's more pleasant surprises [...] there is a small but beautiful landscaped park. There is a large swimming pool packed with children. And amid the trees, in spacious, clean enclosures, a lioness, an ostrich, a family of bears, a pool full of crocodiles." The animals have ample room to move around with some enclosures as big as those in the London Zoo
.
The zoo can be reached by taking a service taxi from the city center for a cost of 5 Israeli new shekel. The entrance fee is 5 NIS and there is a restaurant on-site. The zoo also has a small children's entertainment park with a large swimming pool. Schoolchildren can also take tours of, "the colorful, highly eccentric Natural History Museum."
Two other zoos in the Palestinian territories
are located in the Gaza Strip
: the Rafah Zoo (destroyed during Operation Rainbow
in May 2004), and the Gaza Zoo
.
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
in the Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
farming city of Qalqilya
Qalqilyah
-Bibliography: p. -External links:**...
on the western edge of the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
. Established in 1986, it is the only municipal zoo in the West Bank.
Considered the foremost tourist attraction in Qalqilya, there are about 170 animals at the zoo, which also houses a Natural History Museum, children's entertainment park, and on-site restaurant. Before the Israeli military closure
West Bank Closures
The West Bank closure system is a series of obstacles including permanent and partially manned checkpoints, concrete roadblocks and barriers, metal gates, earthmounds, tunnels, trenches, and an elaborate set of permit restrictions that controls and restricts Palestinian movement.-Rationale and...
of the West Bank and the encirclement of Qalqilya by the Israeli West Bank barrier
Israeli West Bank barrier
The Israeli West Bank barrier is a separation barrier being constructed by the State of Israel along and within the West Bank. Upon completion, the barrier’s total length will be approximately...
, there was an average of 3,000 visitors per year. The numbers have since dropped significantly, though the site remains locally popular.
History
The zoo was the brainchild of a former Qalqilya mayor who came to be poorly regarded by most Palestinians because he is considered to have been a collaboratorCollaborationism
Collaborationism is cooperation with enemy forces against one's country. Legally, it may be considered as a form of treason. Collaborationism may be associated with criminal deeds in the service of the occupying power, which may include complicity with the occupying power in murder, persecutions,...
with Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Israeli zoos helped to stock it and it was designed to be a symbol of Arab-Israeli cooperation. When it opened in 1986, the zoo was considered "a jewel in the crown of Palestinian national institutions". Maarouf Zahran, Qalqilya's mayor in 2004, said that in its early days the zoo was so popular that it was expanded by the municipality to accommodate the increasing flow of visitors.
Before the construction of the separation barrier, which completely encircles the town of Qalqilya, both Israelis and Palestinians from other areas were visitors to the zoo. Before the Second Intifada began in 2000, visitors came from as far away as the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
. Once it started, Palestinians from outside Qalqilya were prevented from visiting, until 2003, when Israel began allowing group visits arranged in advance. Israelis require special permission to visit Qaqilya since the barrier's construction, and the hundreds of checkpoints between Palestinian villages in the West Bank mean that many Palestinians are prevented from visiting as well. Before the restrictions on travel, annual revenues had totalled 600,000 Cdn
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
a year, but in 2003, revenues were one-third that amount.
The zoo's survival is attributed to "the hard work and dedication of its resident veterinarian, Dr Sami Khadr, and his team of staff". Like the population of the town of Qalqilya, it has see tough times during the Second Intifada. A Palestinian child playing outside the main entrance of the zoo on a public holiday was killed by indiscriminate fire which discouraged visitors there for some time.
Some of the zoo's animals were casualties of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
between 2000 and 2004, and could not be replaced because of the restrictions on movement and financial difficulties. Brownie, a male giraffe purchased from South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
for 19,500 Cdn, died after running into a pole while trying to escape the sound of gunfire. Ruti, his pregnant partner who was traumatized by his death, miscarried her baby 10 days later. Three zebras, purchased for 2,600 Cdn each, died after inhaling tear gas during a 2002 demonstration at a high school adjacent to the zoo. Khader came up with creative solutions to continue entertaining and educating visitors. With knowledge of taxidermy
Taxidermy
Taxidermy is the act of mounting or reproducing dead animals for display or for other sources of study. Taxidermy can be done on all vertebrate species of animals, including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians...
, he decided to preserve some of the animals, including Brownie, his unborn calf, the zebras, a monkey, wildcats and snakes.
Since its inception, the zoo has benefited from the help of Motke Levison, an Israeli veterinarian, who consults with Khader by phone and meets him in neutral locations to deliver emergency medical supplies for animals. Because of this belief in the zoo's importance to the people and children of Qalqilya and the West Bank, Levison approached the Israeli Association of Zoos to develop an assistance plan to deliver new animals to the zoo.
Three lions, three ibex desert goats and two zebras were donated by the Ramat Gan Safari park in September 2004.
The three lions, which are castrated and were being shunned by other lions in the Ramat Gan park, were originally supposed to have been transferred to Qalqilya in 2000, but the outbreak of the Second Intifada delayed the delivery. Saeed Daoud, director of the Qalqilya Zoo, dubbed the three lions, who were named Jafer, Jaras and Naboko, "the kings of peace."
The other animals were sent as a gift to help replace the animals killed during Israeli army raids, including the zebras who succumbed to tear gas inhalation. According to Khadr, the Ramat Gan zoo had also sent monkeys, an ostrich, and raccoons in prior deliveries during the intifada. He noted his pleasure that unlike the ostrich, who was held up at the checkpoint entrance to the town for hours, this larger delivery was allowed through without delay.
Description of the premises
The zoo has a range of animals including lions, brown bears, crocodiles, ostriches, camels, deers, gazelles, zebras, birds, lizards, snakes, and monkeys of various types. There is also a hippopotamus named Dubi, who shares his small concrete wading pool with a family of peacocks. Khader takes care of the animals, with a typical day including an inspection of the hippo's teeth, scratching of lions' noses, and playing ball with a baby baboon named Rambo.The zoo is described in an article in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
in December 2003 as "one of the West Bank's more pleasant surprises [...] there is a small but beautiful landscaped park. There is a large swimming pool packed with children. And amid the trees, in spacious, clean enclosures, a lioness, an ostrich, a family of bears, a pool full of crocodiles." The animals have ample room to move around with some enclosures as big as those in the London Zoo
London Zoo
London Zoo is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. It was eventually opened to the public in 1847...
.
The zoo can be reached by taking a service taxi from the city center for a cost of 5 Israeli new shekel. The entrance fee is 5 NIS and there is a restaurant on-site. The zoo also has a small children's entertainment park with a large swimming pool. Schoolchildren can also take tours of, "the colorful, highly eccentric Natural History Museum."
Two other zoos in the Palestinian territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
are located in the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
: the Rafah Zoo (destroyed during Operation Rainbow
Operation Rainbow
Operation Rainbow is a controversial military operation which began on May 18, 2004 and ended on May 23, 2004 in Rafah , the Gaza Strip...
in May 2004), and the Gaza Zoo
Gaza Zoo
The Gaza Zoo is a leisure complex, series of public gardens, children's amusement park and zoo created by the government of Gaza in the spring of 2010 on government property that was formerly a garbage dump....
.