A delegation from Israel, representing the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the administration of natural parks, and the Carmel Hai-Bar Nature Reserve, visited Feldman Ecopark. The guests arrived with the offer to launch a joint project aimed at rescue of birds of prey and ungulates.
An excursion for Israeli delegation was conducted along the main health, educational, zoological and entertaining zones of Feldman Ecopark. After that, the parties discussed possible assistance of Kharkiv’s specialists in the rescue of endangered animal species in Israel. In particular, the counterparts were interested in Ecopark as it is the place with the skillful qualified personnel and the proper conditions for maintenance and breeding of threatened animals – white-tailed eagles and eagles.
“We could give these birds to Ecopark for them to be able to breed here under the care of skillful Ukrainian specialists, and later we will be able to release them into the wildlife of Israel,” the head of the department of control of trade and maintenance of wild animals under the Israel Nature and Parks Authority Ori Linial noted.
In turn, the ornithologist of the Carmel Hai-Bar Nature Reserve and the specialist in birds of prey Yigal Miller emphasized that Feldman Ecopark may become a massive rehabilitation centre for many species of birds.
“It is very important now to use all of our opportunities to return the endangered species to the nature. I know that there are 80 places for nestling of eagles in Ukraine. Israel carries out activities aimed at the increase of population of these birds during 20 years and we have only one nest. The second one disappeared,” Yigal Miller told. “We are also concerned with the problem of griffons, as this bird becomes extinct all over the world. But we attract all zoos and nature reserves to join the common programme of breeding of griffons brought from Spain. And I think that Feldman Ecopark will join our work and will be able to help in breeding of these birds for them to be later released to the nature of Israel.”
The specialists of Feldman Ecopark accepted the offer of Israeli counterparts and promised to provide animals with the conditions close to natural.
“At this stage we determined that it is possible to accommodate a griffon vulture, white-tailed eagle (by the way, there is already one representative of this species here) and many other birds. All birds will live not in the expositional part of Ecopark, but in more secluded corner, where they will be closer to the nature. Therefore, they will be able to keep their natural skills and will not have time to get used to people, which is the guarantee of their successful return to the wildlife,” Feldman Ecopark’s deputy director of zootechnics Valeriia Ivashchenko noted.
In addition to birds, Feldman Ecopark is ready to provide accommodation for Persian fallow deer, which are also considered an almost extinct species and require urgent increase of the population. The specialists of Feldman Ecopark have a great experience in maintenance of fallow deer, and it will help them in the further work with these Asian ungulates. If the Persian fallow deer are able to breed, they will be transferred to the other zoos worldwide within the framework of the international programme of preservation of rare species of animals.
It should be reminded that earlier, in February, the founder of Feldman Ecopark Oleksandr Feldman visited Israel. He carried out the range of meetings and discussed with the representatives of natural parks and agencies the possibilities of cooperation in the nature conservation field.
