Oxynoemacheilus insignis (Dor's Loach)

Oxynoemacheilus insignis (Dor's Loach) is a fish endemic to Israel that is in immediate danger of extinction. The only population that remains in the wild lives in the Ein Malkoah Reserve adjacent to the Bik'a Road. In 2011, part of the population was taken by the rangers of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority in order to create a breeding program in captivity.

In 2017, an artificial habitat was set up in the Beit She'an Valley which was populated with fish from the breeding program, an attempt that did not succeed. In 2018, the zoo was enlisted, following a request from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, and about 1,000 individuals from the breeding program were transferred to the zoo in order to serve as a backup population for the population in Ein Malkoah. At the zoo, the fish reproduced, a small part was transferred to the display in "Story of a Drop", while about 20 fish were sent to the Vienna Zoo as part of the idea to ensure the population of the species, and this is thanks to the extensive connections of the zoo in the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).

In 2020, the Israel Aquarium employees integrated in the management of the project and in leading it, in an attempt to improve the breeding of the population kept in the zoo behind the scenes and on display. In the coming years, the researchers, zoo and Israel Aquarium employees, and the people of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority will try to continue to breed the species, to understand it better, and in the future even to release individuals back into the wild.

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