UAE | Leisure
Al Ain zoo to start night safari
The Al Ain Zoo, which has turned into a zoological resort, will offer night safaris from next month, with visitors being able to enjoy the facility during the hot summer months.
- By Aftab Kazmi, Bureau Chief
- Published: 00:00 April 8, 2007
- Image Credit: Abdul Rahman/Gulf News
- From next month visitors can experience night safaris at Al Ain Zoo.
Al Ain: Al Ain Zoo will offer night safaris from next month, with visitors being able to enjoy the facility during the hot summer months.
The zoo, which is undergoing rapid developments, has turned into a zoological resort with a plethora of new attractions and facilities, said Mark Craig, director of the zoo.
"We have finalised the preparations and planning to start night safaris from the middle of next month," said Craig, promising visitors a unique experience.
The idea of a night safari park, he said, has been conceived with the harsh summer conditions in mind.
He said the safaris have been developed in natural settings and people will be able to see the animals from a close distance while sitting in vehicles provided by the zoo.
"The zoo will have special vehicles that will meet all the safety requirements," he said.
Redesigned
The zoo operates its facilities on 45 hectares with more than 4,000 mammals, birds and reptiles, with the majority of them originating from the Arabian Peninsula and Northern Africa. The zoo houses a large collection of carnivores such as lions, tigers, cheetahs, pumas and leopards, as well as baboons and gibbon.
The director said family picnic areas have also been re-designed to suit the needs of the people. "All the developments are based on the concept of wildlife conservation as well as promotion of Abu Dhabi's environmental education efforts and its future tourism aspirations," he added.
A special bird show has been developed to illustrate hunting habits of the region's most exotic birds of prey. The 30-minute show starts everyday at 5pm. The zoo has developed a special arena for the show. Experts use different species of falcons, eagles, and vultures to show how they hunt their prey in the wild.
The show has been the result of a six-month long association with Singapore Zoo, and a two-month active training of the birds and zoo officials, said Craig and Jeet Cheema, the Singaporean team leader.
Established in 1967, the zoo has been operating under the umbrella of the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD).
Attractions: Facility has more than 4,000 animals
The zoo operates on 45 hectares with more than 4,000 mammals, birds, and reptiles, with the majority originating from the Arabian Peninsula and Northern Africa. The facilities include:
- Walk-in bird house
- Bird of prey free-flight show
- African mixed exhibition
- Chimpanzee exhibit
- Chilean Flamingo exhibit
- Primate exhibit
- New Lion exhibit
- Mixed Arabian exhibit
- Nocturnal House
Your comments
Looking forward for the night safari. Changes are always good and something out of the ordinary is always welcome. Frankly speaking, I was bored and tired when I last visited the zoo.
Rajesh
Sharjah,UAE
Al Ain Zoo is one of the most interesting zoos that I have seen. The night safaris would mean a lot and this would be an added feature to the zoo.
Rashida
Dubai,UAE
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