Dubai: Hidden behind the security perimeter along Al Aweer Road, diligent workers are busy giving the animals of Dubai Zoo a new lease of life.
The second phase of Dubai’s new zoo has started and the project’s deadline for the end of 2014 is on track, a municipal official confirmed on Thursday.
“If you drive by Dubai Safari on the main road, opposite Dragon Mart, you cannot see anything as the work is far out. We already have a contractor who recently started carrying out the infrastructure work, as well as the water feature,” Mohammad Mashroom, Director of General Projects Department at Dubai Municipality, told Gulf News.
The wadi area at Dubai Safari is one of the main features of the project, as it will be built in conjunction with a waterfall, and some of the villages will have boating activities,” he said.
Mashroom explained that the second phase started two weeks ago, after the first phase of levelling the ground took almost seven months to complete.
Dubai Safari will be divided into four different sections — African, Asian and Arabian Villages and an open safari — for animals coming from different geographical locations, with architecture and landscaping to match.
“As part of the second phase, we are working on three packages that include the driveway, the parking lots and the areas where the animals will be located at. There are plenty of workers at the site, who are constantly working to meet the deadline,” he said.
The total area of Dubai Safari will cover 120 hectares at a cost of Dh150 million that will consist of a zoo, safari and butterfly park, botanical garden, resort, and golf course, in addition to educational and veterinary facilities.
There will initially be 1,600 parking spaces over two designated areas and further down the line the municipality intends to expand it to 3,600 parking spaces across 9.4 hectares.
Once completed, the 29-hectare zoo will become a haven for animals and is expected to feature more than 1,000 animals and birds, which will replace the 1.5 hectare zoo in Jumeirah that was built in 1967. The old zoo has been the subject of controversy among residents as the cages are not large enough for the animals to move around freely.
The safari project will not only be larger than the old zoo, but will also feature a long list of facilities that are all environmentally sustainable.
Dubai Municipality has taken power consumption into consideration when designing the green project, and will incorporate solar power, water recycling, waste disposal and recycling facilities.
