9 4 7 ▁to ▁ 1 9 5 0 . ▁Its ▁occup ancy ▁coinc ided ▁with ▁the ▁ 1 9 4 8 ▁Arab - Is ra eli ▁War ▁and ▁the ▁sie ge ▁of ▁Jerusalem , ▁when ▁food ▁for ▁the ▁city ' s ▁population ▁was ▁at ▁a ▁prem ium . ▁Z oo keep ers ▁res orted ▁to ▁hunting ▁down ▁st ray ▁dogs ▁near ▁garbage ▁d umps ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁feed ▁the ▁car n iv orous ▁animals . ▁Many ▁of ▁the ▁car n iv ores ▁died ▁anyway , ▁and ▁other , ▁non - d anger ous ▁species ▁had ▁to ▁be ▁released . ▁ ▁Rom ema ▁( 1 9 5 0 – 1 9 9 1 ) ▁ ▁As ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁Israel - J ord an ▁Arm ist ice ▁Ag re ements ▁of ▁ 1 9 4 9 , ▁access ▁to ▁Mount ▁Sc opus ▁was ▁restricted . ▁The ▁United ▁Nations ▁helped ▁the ▁zoo ▁re loc ate ▁to ▁a ▁ ▁lot ▁in ▁G iv at ▁Kom una , ▁adjacent ▁to ▁the ▁present - day ▁neighborhood s ▁of ▁Rom ema ▁and ▁Ez rat ▁Tor ah . ▁According ▁to ▁Sh ul ov , ▁when ▁the ▁zoo ▁arrived ▁in ▁Rom ema , ▁only ▁two ▁wol ves , ▁one ▁hy ena , ▁one ▁l ion ▁and ▁one ▁le op ard ▁were ▁left . ▁ ▁The ▁zoo ▁remained ▁in ▁Rom ema ▁from ▁ 1 9 5 0 ▁to ▁ 1 9 9 1 , ▁becoming ▁a ▁bel oved ▁Jerusalem ▁institution . ▁About ▁ 3 0   percent ▁of ▁its ▁attend ance