Thread by @Israel

A mossad mission, a clandestine flight and six #Persian fallow deer.

We're about to tell you an unbelievable true story.

Here we go:

The Persian Fallow Dear which dominated the Israeli landscape during biblical times went extinct in the earlier twentieth century.

In the 1950's a tiny herd was discovered in Iran.

During this time, Israel & the Shah of Iran negotiated a deal to bring two members of the herd to Israel, but nearly two decades later & the deer remained in Iran.

Israeli authorities nearly gave up hope that the Fallow Deer would ever make it to Israel until..

📸Ben Rosenberg

In Dec. 1978, The Israel Nature & Parks authority received an unexpected phone call from the Shah of Iran who told them to send a Mossad agent to Tehran immediately to retrieve the deer.

At this point the winds of the revolution were already blowing in Iran.

📸Dvir Sheinover

When the agent arrived in Tehran, there was no one to greet him and deliver the deer.

The Shah and his family had fled the country and the revolution was moments away from erupting.

The agent was told to return home to Israel immediately.

But then something incredible happened.

By some form of divine intervention, the agent was able to locate the deer and bring them back to Israel, boarding the last Israeli flight to depart Iran.

(Photographed: Protests during the Iranian Revolution)

Today, thanks to the efforts of one brave agent and wildlife conservationists at the @BiblicalZoo & Hai-Bar Carmel Nature Reserve, the Fallow Dear is alive & well in Israel, and is already three generations strong.

Pretty amazing, no?

📸Dvir Sheinover

Someone should make a movie about this story.

Who agrees?

(Photo 1 in thread: 📸 Dotan Rotem
Photo 2 📸Dvir Sheinover)

We couldn’t help but share this picture of a herd of Fallow Deer thriving in Jerusalem’s @BiblicalZoo in 2020. That’s what we call a success story.

And finally, for a more in-depth read of this incredible story ⬇️
jpost.com/israel-news/mo…