A letter from the Postal Authority confirming the proposal of the artist Deborah Buchman for the zoo series
Technical details about the series: ZOO ANIMALS – ISRAEL 1992
Zoo animals
Issue : September 1992
Designer : D. Bochman
Size : 34.6 mm X 27.7 mm
Plate no : 167
Shit of 12 steps.
Tabs : 4
Printer: E. Lewin-Epstein. Ltd.
Method of printing : offset
Details about the artist Deborah Buchman who painted the stamps and envelopes
Dvora Bochman was born in Tel Aviv. She studied art until 1972 at the Ramat – Hsharon Art College, where she had a scholarship from of the American Israel found. From 1972, to 1982 Bochman held exhibitions of her artwork in Tel Aviv, Ramat-Hasharon and Givatayim. In 1982 She went with her family to live in Nairobi, Kenya. Whilst in Nairobi Bochman painted Murals in several public places, including the United Nations Environment program (UNEP) headquarters. She also created sets at the national theater and a number of Ballets and she designed stamps for Kenyan Post office. Bochman return to Israel in 1991 and exhibited her work at the Amalia Arbel Gallery.
1992 – ZOO ANIMALS Israeli Philatelic Authority
Zoos throughout the world serve three main purposes: conservation of animals, education, and recreation.
As far as animals and nature conservation is concerned, these activities are coordinated with those of the national and inter national organizations which work to preserve wildlife threatened with extinction and return them to nature.
The wide variety of educational activities for schoolchildren, youth and adults includes nature groups, lectures, exhibitions, nature films, fieldtrips, and observation activities. The purpose is to make the general public more aware of animals and their importance.
Zoos are places where visitors can enjoy themselves – there are play areas and places to come into contact with the animals – and they also provide other services to meet the visitors’ needs.
The new zoo in Jerusalem
The new zoo in Jerusalem is situated in Manahat-Park, in an area of about 250 dunams, on the south-west of the city, a special landscape in an open, hilly area. The zoo was built according to the latest thinking on zoos, which places emphasis on the quality of the conditions for the animals.
In the zoo there are extensive display .areas where only a water filled moat separates the public from the animals. The zoo is built around an artificial lake which serves as the home for the water fowl. By the .lake itself there are waterfalls and areas of running water, and the lake contains islands, some of which will house the monkeys.
The birds will be exhibited within a huge aviary that will be open to the public and in which the birds will be able to fly about freely. A closed and air-conditioned exhibition hall has also been built for small animals, and here a variety of reptiles and small mammals, which need to be seen at close quarters, and which require controlled living conditions, are on show.
For the young visitors, a children’s zoo has been built, within the large park, and here stroking, feeding, and playing with the animals will be allowed. This achieves both educational and recreational goals, as the young visitor gets to know the animals through play.
The educational area includes classrooms and an auditorium where it will be possible to present information on animals to the general public.
Two of the species on display are the Asian Lion and the Persian Leopard.
The Asian Lion is a sub-species , different from the African Lion. It is known for its great mane which reaches right down to its under-belly. Hunting is done together in the pride, mainly by the females. They eat about 25 kg of meat at a time and doze most of the day. The Asian Lion lives only in the forests of North West India and is in real danger of extinction – today there are only a few hundred left. In the past, this lion could be found in Israel, but became extinct here in the 12th century.
The Persian Leopard is similar to the Galilee sub-species which became extinct in 1965 but is different from the sub-species found today in Israel. It is active mainly at night, is an excellent climber and swimmer, and catches its prey by lying in wait and ambushing it. It mainly eats on the high branches of trees, so as to avoid having to share its meal with other predators.
The Zoological Center Tel Aviv – Ramat Gan
The Zoological Center has three major parts: the drive-through African park, a new zoo, and a classroom. The Centers located on a 225 acre site, and was first opened to the public in 1974 as a drive-through Safari park. Here a community of African animals moves freely within the boundaries of the Center. An area of 45 acres was closed off within the African area, where the new zoo was built, under the joint auspices of the municipalities of Tel-Aviv and Ramat-Gan. The new zoo opened in 1981 and houses animals from around the world, primarily from the collection of the former Tel Aviv Zoo. The zoo has been designed to provide a feeling of open space and continuity with the African park. Over 1000 animals are exhibited within the zoo and the African area, including 66 species of mammals, 99 species of birds and 6 species of reptiles. It is the largest zoo in Israel.
The Zoological Center integrates the three functions of modern zoos – recreation, education, and conservation. Visitors can enjoy both the beauty of African animals living in natural groupings, and observe the zoo animals from close quarters, against a background of pleasant gardens. In this living classroom, visitors and school groups can learn all about animals – their appearance, evolution, geographical origin and behaviors.
The Chimpanzee
These· social and intelligent apes can be seen in the zoo in a natural setting. Aggression and submission, care and rearing of young can all be seen in the group. As in the wild, chimpanzees also use tools to extract honey from specially drilled holes in logs the keepers have prepared for them. Captive breeding groups of chimpanzees in zoos are important in conserving this species which is becoming rare in nature.
The Asian Elephants
are the largest of land mammals. Their huge size requires enormous amounts of food and water. A 4 1/2-ton elephant needs 200 kg food and 150 liters water daily. Because of their needs, they are among the first to suffer as man consumes the forests and grasslands of Africa and Asia. Both African and Asian elephants are fully protected by international law, and trade in ivory is strictly forbidden. Asian elephants are still used as working animals today. These highly intelligent animals can learn up to 100 commands. Breeding elephants is rare in captivity. The Zoological Center is world famous for breeding both Asian and African elephants. Its elephant enclosures have become models for other zoos in the world.
Thanks to Amelia Terkel, PhD Dr. Gabi Eshkar & Bar-Nir Tova for the informative text.
A philatelic postcard that represented Israel at the World Stamp Exhibition in Singapore in 1995
meirv postcards drawn by the artist DvoraBochmanpublished by the stamp postal service
A commemorative page produced and signed by artist Dvorah Bochman commissioned by a stamp collector
Several articles have been published about this series
One of the letters we received
