If you like roars, howls, chatters and grunts, the Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort (AWPR) is the place to be, especially during the scorching summer months when the park remains open until midnight.
Wild Nights runs daily until the end of September and exposes visitors to a new set of experiences with many animals displaying their nocturnal behaviour.
"A zoo is a different place at night. Lots of residents tend to rest during the heat of the day, so they get more active at night and exhibit more naturalistic behaviour," said Farshid Mehrdadfar, AWPR's animal collection manager.
The gardens and landscapes have special lighting by night, giving the park a mysterious, sometimes spooky feel. The downside of visiting the zoo by night is that lots of animals are indeed sleeping. There wasn't much action around 9pm at the monkeys' exhibit. But because it was bedtime, several of them were holding on to each other and sleeping on a branch — a very cute sight.
AWPR is home to 4,300 animals, 30 per cent of which are considered to be endangered. The sole Arabian leopard walked back and forth along the fence with its eyes shining brightly in the night. I spent a long while watching the wolves, whose area was lit by greenish lights. The Cat House, lit for the first time, presents lion, tiger, puma, jaguar and cougar.
Evening is also the time when some animals get fed, including gazelles and oryxes at the Mixed Arabian Exhibit, giraffes, rhinos and wildebeest at the Mixed African Exhibit, crocodiles and penguins, who were really fun to watch.
Keeper talks are held daily, providing information about the zoo residents and engaging guests in question and answer sessions. Special effects create a spooky atmosphere for the prehistoric creatures of the Dinosaur Trail as they emerge roaring from the swamp-like fog. This reenactment features 24 life-size animatronic dinosaur replicas (see Dinosaur Trail box).
At 7.30pm I headed to the Bird of Prey Show where vultures, owls, eagles and falcons displayed their speed, skills and killer instinct. The show is really entertaining with the presentation of truly beautiful specimens and large birds of prey.
Bird of Prey Show
Falcons, eagles, owls and vultures demonstrate their speed and extraordinary hunting skills daily at 5.30pm plus a second show on Thursday and Friday at 7.30pm. Falconry is a vital part of Arabian culture and the park hosts a vast collection of different birds of prey. The Bird Show gives visitors the chance to see lots of them in enthralling, dramatic action. I had the chance to hold a desert eagle owl and witness first-hand how these birds can turn their head 270 degrees.
Dinosaur trail
The Dinosaur Trail exhibit gives visitors an opportunity to journey into the past to encounter prehistoric beasts that roamed the Earth millions of years ago. The 6,000 square metre exhibit teaches visitors about the origin of dinosaurs, their habitats and the period in which they lived. It also features a fossil dig where child palaeontologists can excavate dinosaur fossils, as well as a robotic dinosaur demonstrating the inner workings of animatronics. A family picnic area, snacks shop and retail store complete the exhibit.
Two special residents
Earlier this year, the Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort welcomed two white lions from South Africa, and they have since become one of the park’s biggest attractions. White lions are among the rarest in the world and almost extinct in the wild. The 2-year-old lions at AWPR are a brother and a sister.
They are conservation ambassadors calling attention to the urgent need to protect the African lion from extinction.“The white lions at AWPR are ambassadors for their wild cousins. We brought the white lion here because we thought it’s a magnificent animal that can grab the attention of our guests, and in turn allow us to introduce the educational and conservational messaging and get our guests involved with the conservation issues related to carnivores that live in arid regions,” said Farshid Mehrdadfar, AWPR’s animal collection manager.
These unique lions are not albino; their unique hair and skin pigmentation is caused by the presence of a recessive gene known as chinchilla or colour inhibitor.
Zoo information
Where: Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort. 90- minute drive from Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Opening hours: 4pm-midnight on Saturday-Thursday and 10am-midnight on Friday until September 30 (Wild Nights); 9pm- 2am daily during Ramadan
Tickets: Dh15 per adult, Dh5 per child 3-12 years, free for children under 2 years. Combination tickets for the Zoo and Dinosaur
Trail are Dh25 per adult and Dh15 per child.
For further information and schedule details: visit www.awpr.ae.
