History in the making in southern Israel - Reintroduction of Ostriches into the wild

Credits: All photos courtesy of Jonathan Meyrav; Click on the photos to enlarge [+]

On the morning of 11 May 2005 a flock of Ostriches was released into the southern Israel wilderness for the first time ever.

The Ostrich, Camelus (Struthio) camelus, is the world's largest bird, reaching a maximum weight of 150 kilograms and over 2.5 meters tall. Its weak wings cannot carry its weight and therefore Ostriches are flightless and use their short wide wings for quick direction changes and balance while running. The Ostrich can reach running speeds of 70 km per hour and maintain that speed over long distances.

Modern Ornithology recognizes 5 subspecies of Ostrich, which roam the African Savannahs from the extreme south west of the continent up to the Nile valley in east Africa .

In the past another subspecies was widespread throughout the Middle Eastern deserts and Israel, Camellus camellus syriacus.

Syriacus was the only Ostrich ssp. that lived outside of the African continent but unfortunately was completely wiped out with the arrival of automatic weapons to the region. Today there is no trace of syriacus and it is believed that the last birds were hunted in Jordan or Saudi Arabia in the late 60's. There are no living birds in captivity.

There is no exact data as to when exactly Ostriches disappeared from Israel but around 100 years ago would be a rough guess.

Following the success of releasing Oryx and Asian wild Ass back into the wild the Ostrich project slowly came to be.

The Ostriches released in the southern Negev plateau are of the east African form, and were originally brought from Ethiopia .

The birds were raised with strict regulations and methods, minimizing human contact at the Hai Bar nature reserve in the Arava valley and then transferred to the introduction cage in the release area. The "cage" is actually a large fenced off area where the Ostriches can run and really feel at home.

The birds slowly got accustomed to the new site and settled into the area. During the 11 week period at the site, human contact was kept to a minimum and regular observations were made. The birds having reached near adulthood did occasionally approached the caretakers, but were sharp, aware and showed fear.

Two of the Ostriches seemed oblivious to human presence, so it was decided that they would stay in captivity for the time being.

On the morning of 11 May, we all met at the site and ceremoniously removed a large part of the fence, giving the birds the time to "digest" their freedom.

The Ostriches, having spent countless hours patrolling the fences were quite shocked to find that they are free. This is a crucial part of the release program and the birds have to be ready and no pressure whatsoever is put on the birds. Our visions of the flock running as one towards the horizon quickly vanished as the birds very cautiously inched their way out of the enclosure. Even so, we all felt great pride and happiness having even reached this point.

Thirteen Ostriches were finally released, each carrying a clear color tag and a transmitter. They will be closely observed even though they will surely stay around the enclosure area for a limited period of time.

Credit must be given to the following for making this dream a reality: The Hai-Bar nature reserve and park in the Arava valley for taking great care in raising the birds from their first days. The Nature Reserves and parks Authority (NRPA) and their wardens for all their hard work with the enclosure area, the transfer, the technicalities and what not. The veterinary staff, the researchers and the countless helpers and volunteers along the way that made for smooth sailing. Credit must be given to the I.D.F. for tolerating us "nature freaks" in their training areas and cooperating throughout the project and in the future.

On a personal note, this is an exciting and interesting project. The possibility of observing wild Ostriches running across the desert in our backyard is magical. It is easy to sink into pessimistic scenarios, especially given the reputation of these birds… I think that a flightless bird of this size, with a brain weighing barely 6 grams , that makes it this far on the path of evolution, is doing something right.

Enjoy the images, all taken on the morning of the reintroduction, 11 th May 2005 .

Jonathan Meyrav /// Lotan Center for Birdwatching.

Contact info

Daphna Abell
Program Coordinator
lotan-programs@lotan.ardom.co.il
Tel: +972 8 6356935;
Toll Free: 1800 2000 75 (when in Israel)