Abu Dhabi: Sir Bani Yas Island, the award-winning nature reserve developed by the Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) of Abu Dhabi, has witnessed the birth of an endangered Arabian tahr, bringing the total population of the species at the wildlife reserve to four.
The Arabian tahr is one of the indigenous species of the Al Hajar mountains range, which stretches between the UAE and Oman. It is a horned mammal, and has been listed on the Red List of Threatened Species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The TDIC celebrated the milestone and attributed this achievement to the cooperation between the environment and protection teams based on the island. The TDIC also commended the commitment shown by the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi, as well as the environmental life and forests workshop in overseeing the care of wildlife on the island.
The gestation period for the newborn female tahr was four-and-a-half months. The newborn tahr will remain under the care of its mother for three to four months, following which it must start fending for itself. It is expected to forage on its own at the age of two years old.
This new addition to the park’s tahr family, which now consists of two males and two females, is a result of an environment strategy that was spearheaded by the TDIC team in line with international standards in order to achieve the goals set out for its breeding and resettlement programme.
The TDIC acquired the animals from Al Bustan Zoological Centre in Sharjah, a non-profit wildlife preserve. As part of the agreement between the two institutions, the tahr will live in an environment similar to their natural habitat, thus preparing the animals for their return to the wild for breeding.
A TDIC spokesperson said: “Protecting the environment is one of the top priorities for [the] TDIC. As an institution that makes significant contributions towards the preservation of land and marine wildlife in Abu Dhabi and its reserves, we are proud of this achievement, which was made possible through our close cooperation with our partners, the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi, as well as our talented staff.”
