In order to return the biblical species of deer now known as the Persian Fallow Deer to Israel an espionage mission was set up by an Israeli general who was also a zealous conservationist. This particular deer species used to roam the Judean Hills for centuries and is frequently mentioned in the Bible as a staple of the landscape, the species was thought to be extinct before it was discovered in Iran sometime in the fifties. Israel had struck a deal with the Shah of Iran and his son to capture two of the deer and bring them to Israel. However, they were not able to coordinate the conservation effort in time. One day before the revolution broke out a Dutch zoologist living in Israel was able to cross the border at the behest of General Avraham Yaffi, present false papers and capture the deer and safely bring them back to Israel. The deer have been well taken care of and have multiplied at the Bar- Hai Reserve. Four deer were released into the wild recently by Israeli zoologists.
Please see the video from WSJ below.
