Rare footage shows mother partridge and 10 chicks yielding to a racing deer in Jerusalem park

A rare wildlife encounter was captured on Sunday in Valley of the Gazelles Park in Jerusalem, a municipal nature park owned by the city and managed by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. Efrat Yagur, who oversees the park’s deer herd for the organization, recorded the scene with surveillance cameras used for monitoring and research.

The footage shows a mother rock partridge and her 10 chicks trying to cross a park path when a deer suddenly runs into view and sprints across the same trail. The partridge family immediately turned back, let the deer pass, and only crossed once the way was clear.

Amir Balaban, head of urban nature at the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel and an expert on wild animal behavior, said the partridge is “the original Israeli chicken.” He explained that in early summer the chicks follow the female through the valley paths while searching for seeds and small insects.

Balaban said the chicks face many threats in grass, bushes and the sky, including hungry snakes, birds of prey and even feral house cats. This year, he added, the tall grass gives them more cover and improves survival odds, but it also blocks their view and makes it harder to cross deer trails. In the north of the valley, he said, many restless young deer are constantly running around, turning the park paths into a real crossing challenge.