A gesture of diplomacy with horns: The Israeli Embassy in Poland has adopted a bison at the Warsaw Zoo for one year. The embassy will cover its care and upkeep and has given it a distinctly Israeli nickname: Zubriel.
The initiative is intended to be much more than another sponsorship deal between an embassy and a zoo. The bison, known as “żubr” in Polish, is considered one of the symbols most closely associated with Poland’s natural heritage, even though it is not officially designated as the country’s national animal.
Less cocktails, more grass: Zubriel
(Video: Israeli Embassy in Poland)
At the embassy, officials decided to take the Polish symbol and give it an Israeli twist. Thus, the name Zubriel was born — a combination of “żubr,” the Polish name for the bison, and the familiar Israeli ending found in names such as Tzuriel, Yechiel and Uziel.
The adoption also has a historical and symbolic connection to the Warsaw Zoo. Its legendary director, Jan Żabiński, and his wife, Antonina, helped save Jews during the Holocaust by hiding them on the zoo grounds and in their home. Their story was portrayed, among other places, in the film The Zookeeper’s Wife. Żabiński also studied bison.
“This is a gesture to the zoo and its legendary director, as well as to the city of Warsaw, which has hosted us and diplomats from around the world for years,” Israeli Ambassador to Poland Yaakov Finkelstein said.
So what does the adoption actually entail? The embassy will cover the bison’s care and upkeep costs for a year. In return, a sign noting the contribution will be placed near its enclosure. The embassy was also given the right to name the animal. The ambassador also unveiled a plaque noting that the Israeli Embassy had adopted the animal.
Israeli Ambassador to Poland Yaakov Finkelstein (left) with a senior zoo official
(Photo: Israeli Embassy in Warsaw)
Embassy staff in Poland with the bison in the background
(Photo: Israeli Embassy in Warsaw)
And so, at least for the coming year, Israel-Poland relations will have an unofficial diplomatic representative who is large, furry and horned. His name is Zubriel. And he presumably has no intention of attending diplomatic cocktail parties — unless fresh grass is being served.