Abu Dhabi: Children can now get up close and personal with a variety of animals at Emirates Park Zoo thanks to a new children’s nursery newly opened on the facility’s grounds, say officials.

Major General Nasser Lakhrebani Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the Emirates Park Zoo, inaugurated the Barney Home Nursery, located within the grounds of the Emirates Park Zoo in Al Shahama, Abu Dhabi.

The nursery is the first of its kind in the region, he said.

The nursery includes play areas and science and language skills labs, aimed at instilling positive values in children, such as excellence, respect, amiability, cooperation and fun within a perfect and encouraging environment. The nursery also includes a medical clinic fitted with high-quality equipment based on the best international and specialised standards.

At the official inauguration ceremony, Major General Al Nuaimi emphasised that the project contributes efficiently to nurturing children’s character by providing them with the opportunity to get up close and interact with animals beyond books and magazines.

“This will promote the educational methods aimed at inculcating the values acquired through interaction with animals in youth, such as compassion and responsibility, as feeding and caring for a pet encourages responsibility,” he added.

He also noted that it was agreed with the nursery’s officials to allocate places for children with special needs and children of widows.

The Barney Nursery will use international educational methodologies to acquaint a new generation of children with modern educational and scientific tools and prepare them efficiently for the next academic stage of their life.