(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The garden city of Al Ain will soon be known as the global leader in wildlife tourism thanks to Al Ain Zoo's major expansion plans to mark its golden jubilee this year.
After a successful half century as the region's leading wildlife conservation sanctuary and a favourite family destination, the Al Ain Zoo, in its 50th year, has announced seven mega projects including an Elephant safari, Lion Pathway, a Wild Reserve Project, Elephant village, Kuala Land and Sand Cat Breeding Centre, and also a shelter for rescued animals.
The zoo was established in 1968 by late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan, and currently has more than 4,000 animals from around 200 different species, all housed through protected breeding programmes in a 1,000-hector land.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Mark Craig, acting chief operating officer and director of Life Sciences at the zoo, said the aim is to position the facility as one among the best five wildlife destinations in the world. "We want to cement Al Ain Zoo as a leader in wildlife tourism offering visitors a range of experience while promoting wildlife conservation and sustainability.
"Through our educational programmes and community initiatives, we also aim to create future leaders in wildlife conservation in the UAE. Once the seven new projects are completed in the next five years, the Al Ain Zoo will be a great family destination where people can come and stay over and experience wildlife up close," said Craig.
Seven mega projects One of the biggest attractions to be launched at the Zoo is Elephant Safari, which includes 16 African Elephants and the Lion Pathway, where visitors can witness animals in the open wild.Omar Al Balooshi, director of marketing and corporate communications, said that the Elephant Safari will be an addition to the existing Safari experience at the park.
"We already have the biggest man made African Safari in the world. The African Safari and the Lion Pathway will complete the experience and will cover a total of 270 hectors." The project is expected to be open for public by 2020.
The second project is called the Elephants Village, which includes facilities and services that allow for a more comfortable interaction with elephants. It will also have features like food and beverages outlets, retail and terraces.
To promote its main goal of goal of protecting wildlife, the zoo will also build a Wild Reserve project, which will occupy 30 per cent of the zoo area, and will feature vast open lands that showcase natural wildlife without human intervention.
Visitors will get the opportunity to climb the high grounds and camp out overnight while herds of Oryx and gazelles wander around the natural reserve.
Two exciting exhibits: The Koala Land and the Sand Cat will include specially designed temperature controlled areas. At the Sand Cat exhibit, visitors will be able to see a large group of endangered species which will be expanded to include Sand Cats, Fennec Foxes and other nocturnal animals.
The expansion plan will also include the establishment of a Sand Cat Breeding Centre, to protect the species from extinction. The zoo will also build a shelter for stray and rescued animals as part of its expansion projects.
The zoo that started with just 7 animals It was a routine hunting trip at the Empty Quarters in the 1960s, when late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan came across a few Arabian Oryxes. A visionary and a great nature conservationist, he was keen to offer them a sanctuary. He brought those seven Oryxes to Al Ain and set up a small santurary with one or two people to look after them. That is how Al Ain Zoo was born," said Omar Al Balooshi, director of marketing and corporate communications at Al Ain Zoo.
The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan during his tour of the zoo it was opened. - File photo
The population of the Arabian Oryx in the zoo is currently over 300, an incredible achievement made possible by the Zoo's efforts to protect the small group that was resisting extinction.
"That small sanctuary was later developed into The Sheikh Zayed Desert Learning Centre where our founding father's legacy, his teachings and achievements in wildlife conservation is preserved for educational and research purpose."
The centre is a vast resource of environmental sciences in the UAE, with more than 10,000 printed resources and more than a million electronic resources.
From the humble beginning, the Al Ain Zoo today enjoys the reputation as one of the important centres for breeding programmes, conservation of wildlife and protection of the biological diversity of various animal species.
Currently, more than 4,000 animals are protected through breeding programes at the zoo that has over 600 staff working with them. Al Balooshi said more than 53 per cent of their employees are Emiratis, "which is a great achievement in Emiratisation."
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