Al Ain Zoo

Al Ain Zoo (Arabic: حَدِيْقَة ٱلْحَيْوَانَات بِٱلْعَيْن, romanized: Ḥadīqat Ḥaywānāt Bil-ʿAyn), also "Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort"[3][4] or simply "Al Ain Wildlife Park" (Arabic: مُتَنَزَّه ٱلْعَيْن لِلْحَيَاة ٱلْبَرِيَّة, romanized: Mutanazzah Al-ʿAyn Lil-Ḥayāt Al-Bariyyah),[5][6][7] is a 400-hectare (990-acre) zoo located in the foothills of Jebel Hafeet in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. It is primarily composed of ungulates and herbivores such as Arabian antelopes and oryx, eland, gazelle, lechwe and can be found in the tree shaded paddocks which offer breeding conditions that were deemed 'excellent'. Like the Breeding Centre for Endangered Wildlife in the Emirate of Sharjah, which is now closed to the public,[8] it is a member of the EAZA.[1]

Al Ain Zoo
حَدِيْقَة ٱلْحَيْوَانَات بِٱلْعَيْن
Al Ain zoo entrance
24°10′33.89″N 55°44′18.57″E
Date openedApril 7, 1968 (1968-04-07)
LocationAl Ain, Eastern Region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the UAE
Land area400 ha (990 acres)
MembershipsEAZA[1]
WAZA[2]
Websitewww.alainzoo.ae

The Al Ain Zoo hosts the rare white lion and Nubian giraffe.[9]

History and fauna
An Arabian leopard. Leopards had been present in the area of Jebel Hafeet in the 20th century.[10][11]

The zoo was founded in 1968 by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late Ruler of Abu Dhabi and President of the United Arab Emirates, out of concern for the land's wildlife, particularly ungulates such as the Arabian oryx.[2][12]

The zoo features a big cat house. Lions, mountain lions, jaguars,[4] black panther and spotted leopards are found here. In addition to this, it also has a reptile house, monkey compounds, aquarium, and aviary. From February 2010 until July 2010, the Al Ain Zoo hosted the "Dinosaur Trail", a small section which includes around 15 to 20 mechanical dinosaurs with sensors such as Tyrannosaurus rex, as well as information about the dinosaur such as when they lived, which parts of the (current) world they would have been found, and their height and diet, for example.

In April 2019,[13] the zoo was preparing to expand with work on its perimeters going on at the moment in order to build new sites such as the conservation and breeding centre, African Safari, World Desert Zoo, and the Sheikh Zayed Desert Learning Centre.[5][6]

The zoo is taking all possible steps to conserve the Rhinoceroses, which are an endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List by following the international global breeding practices and raising awareness of the importance of wildlife conservation.[14]

The zoo has implemented a series of initiatives to acquire and exchange a number of animals with Dubai Safari Park. The initiative includes the exchange of Rhinoceroses, Arabian Sand Cats, Blue Wildebeests and a number of reptile species, which have been transferred as part of breeding plans and to enhance the variety of species at both zoos.[15]

See also

References
  1. "Where are EAZA members located". EAZA. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  2. "History". Al Ain Zoo. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  3. Forte, Pauline M. (2010-05-22). "Al Ain Wildlife Park: A night at the zoo". Retrieved 2019-04-14.
  4. "Al Ain". The Report Abu Dhabi 2010. Oxford Business Group. 2010. pp. 171–176. ISBN 978-1-9070-6521-7.
  5. Dāwūd, Muḥammad (2010-03-04). "منتزه العين يؤمن حياة كائنات مهددة بالانقراض" (in Arabic). Al-Bayan. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
  6. Sanad, ʿAzzah (2010-04-09). "متنزه العين للحياة البرية بيئة تنبض بالجمال" (in Arabic). Al Ain: Al-Khaleej. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
  7. "افتتاح متنزه الحياة البرية بحديقة الحيوانات بالعين". WAM (in Arabic). Al-Ittihad. 2017-04-20. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
  8. "Breeding Centre for Endangered Wildlife". Breeding Centre for Endangered Wildlife. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  9. "Al Ain". The Rough Guide to Dubai. Rough Guides UK. 2016-11-01. ISBN 978-0-2412-9864-0.
  10. Edmonds, J.-A.; Budd, K. J.; Al Midfa, A. & Gross, C. (2006). "Status of the Arabian Leopard in United Arab Emirates" (PDF). Cat News (Special Issue 1): 33–39.
  11. Spalton, J. A. & Al-Hikmani, H. M. (2006). "The Leopard in the Arabian Peninsula – Distribution and Subspecies Status" (PDF). Cat News (Special Issue 1): 4–8.
  12. "Overview". Al Ain Zoo. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  13. Bridge, Sam (2019-04-13). "Al Ain Zoo plans major projects in tourism push". Arabian Business. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  14. "Al Ain Zoo to further push its rhino conservation efforts". The Brew. 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  15. "Al Ain Zoo exchanges animals with Dubai Safari Park as part of their joint breeding plans". The Brew. 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  16. WAM (2017-09-13). "EAD raises awareness on Abu Dhabi's natural heritage at ADIHEX 2017". The Gulf Today. Archived from the original on 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
  17. De Leon, J. P. (2014-05-26). "100th Arabian tahr, and twin tahrs welcomed in Al Ain". Gulf News. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
  18. "Newborn Arabian tahr discovered on Jebel Hafeet". The National. 2015-03-12. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
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