UAE | General
Searing heat beats Dubai Zoo animals into submission
Keepers at the facility make use of fans, small pools and water sprays to keep the more than 1,000 creatures cool and comfortable.
- By Maysam Ali, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:04 August 1, 2008
- Image Credit: Karl Jeffs/Gulf News
- Zookeepers are trying hard to keep the more than 1,000 animals in the small facility comfortable.
Dubai: There is a cacophony of sounds - of fluttering wings, fan blades and the squeaking of birds.
Such noises prevent the lions from dozing off, as they are very light sleepers, says an animal keeper at Dubai Zoo. He throws the lion a rectangular block of ice, but it does not budge.
Step into the Dubai Zoo in Jumeirah and a hot, humid wave will receive you at the gate. Fortunately for the visitors, they can leave anytime they wish. As for the animals, this is their home.
Animals at the zoo are lethargic and panting heavily. They appear more eager than usual to bathe in the small ponds of water which the zookeepers have created for them.
Flamingos and other birds have found their sanctuary in the water ponds. The Nile crocodile refuses to get out of the water. Animals that can swim have dived deep into the pond. A wire fence separates the crocodile from the other species. Next to the crocodile are vultures, eagles and a little further, turtles.
The cranes usually live in wetlands and riverbanks. For now, they have to make do with the cage - and its dryness.
Parrots have lined up before a single fan; its strong wind almost throwing them off the branch, but they are clutching it tightly.
A short distance away gorillas and chimpanzees hide inside concrete rooms. They venture out for a minute, spray themselves with water and retreat to their rooms. Occasionally, a chimpanzee comes out for entertainment, but finally opts for the comforts of the shade.
Like every summer in the UAE, this has not been an easy one for the animals.
The zookeeper's clothes are drenched in sweat as he passes near the cages and calls the chimps by their names.
"It's 45 degrees Celsius," he says with a smile when I comment about the hot weather.
The wild cats at the zoo have retired to their lairs. A huge pot of water is kept outside, but they are too tired to savour it. The Bengal tiger lounges in a small house - under a small window where a fan is fixed. On the list of endangered species, the tiger is unable to move.
The African lion is taking a nap through the hot afternoon.
Inadequate facilities
Puddles of water on the floor indicate that it had dipped itself in the water before settling down. The water is cooling him down, but not enough.
The monkeys are not is their usual state of playfulness. Today, they rest. Some appear unusually irritated.
Perhaps the most comfortable animals are those whose normal habitat is the desert such as the Barbary sheep and the Arabian gazelle, but they too make slow movement. Even they are not used to the level of humidity and high temperature.
The bear made its way from Russia to Dubai. It is comfortably lying in an air-conditioned room, trying to hibernate through a hot desert summer.
With June and July over, the animals still have to survive another two months of oppressive conditions.
Despite the promises that the zoo will be moved to a bigger space soon, none of the plans has yet materialised. Over 1,100 animals reside in the Dubai Zoo.
"The zoo is doing the beset it can, but they have limitations because of the facilities. The Dubai Zoo is an inadequate facility by modern standards. They really need the new parameters and should be in proper, bigger facilities," said Martin Wyness, veterinary surgeon and owner of the British Veterinary Centre in Abu Dhabi.
The zoo is almost abandoned at this time of the day. The children who came visiting are restless; they want to see the animals but they can't stay for long. With sweaty foreheads and untidy wet hair, they give cursory glances at the cages and leave. Today, they prefer an airconditioned environment than the zoo.
Would it be more humane to shutdown the zoo because local weather conditions do not allow the animals to survive in a natural environment? Is there a need for legislation on animal rights? Would you agree to pay more entrance fees if it means better temperature-controlled enclosures for animals? Tell us what you think should be done to alleviate their suffering at letter2editor@gulfnews.com
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