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Al Ain Zoo evolves over the years

From housing rescued wild animals to conservation of endangered species, the zoo is doing yeoman service to the wildlife and educating the public

Abu Dhabi: A wild animal taken into captivity only to be sold to a zoo where it will spend the rest of its life in a tight enclosure for the pleasure of viewing is a very disturbing fact for anyone who cares for nature.

Sadly, such practices still exist, but most zoo parks around the world nowadays work towards conservation of wildlife and make their animals’ welfare a priority.

Saving wild animals from illegal captivity is what Al Ain Zoo has ended up doing, and 50 of its lions have come this way.

“Some were donated to us and some were given to us by the authorities, who confiscated them from people who kept them as pets after buying them illegally from smugglers,” said Rashed Al Saadi, communication manager at Al Ain Zoo.

The oldest and largest zoo in the UAE, Al Ain Zoo was opened in 1968 and much has changed and improved since. In the same time he established the zoo, the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan banned hunting in the emirate and initiated the first breeding programme of the Arabian Oryx, which was already extinct in the wild. In 1972, the first calf is born at the zoo and, years later, in 2007, the first herd of Arabian Oryx born and bred at the zoo is re-introduced to the wild.

One of the first residents to arrive from Africa was Lady, a Western Lowland gorilla, who was four years old when she got here from Cameroon.

“Recently, Lady lost her ‘husband’ and she was left all alone. We placed a rabbit with her and they have become good friends. There is also a TV in her enclosure and she loves watching the Barney and Friends cartoon. Seriously, I’m not joking,” said Al Saadi.

In the first decade of the new millennium, a series of conservation projects and improvements to the animal enclosures began at the zoo. A wildlife park reserve was announced with animal safari — African style — luxurious resort accommodation, even a glass-walled restaurant in the lions’ den and residential houses too. All of these are yet to happen and may start as early as next year.

“We are now working on the North Kenya safari, which will include lions and other wild cats, giraffes and maybe even elephants,” revealed Al Saadi.

“It is going to be a very large area, going all the way to Jebel Hafeet. The plan is to open it in 2015,” he added.

In 2008, Al Ain Zoo signed an agreement with San Diego Zoo — one of the world’s biggest — mostly for staff training purposes and conservation projects. In 2013, the partnership was extended for another 20 years.

Several endangered species make the conservation programme of Al Ain Zoo, including the African wild dog, rhinos, Grevy’s zebra and the Arabian sand cat.

The critically endangered Addax, a Sahara desert antelope, numbers less then 300 in the wild, but the zoo has 72 and hopes to breed enough to save the wild population.

Altogether, Al Ain Zoo is home to over 4,000 animals and some of its latest arrivals are sheep, goats, geese, ducks, ponies and camels, all part of the Children’s Zoo.

A bird show, UAE’s only parrot show, giraffe-feeding experience and the back-of-house educational tours are also some of the main attractions for the younger visitors.

silvia@khaleejtimes.com