Abu Dhabi: The Research Centre affiliated with the Natural Reserves Management at the Private Department of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday succeeded in hatching a Houbara bustard from a domesticated chicken egg, after two years of work.
Shaikh Khalifa hailed the unprecedented scientific breakthrough by the centre which works in line with the UAE's strategy based on unprecedented initiatives launched by Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Shaikh Khalifa also emphasised his support for all scientific programmes and efforts by all bodies and departments throughout the UAE seeking to protect the national heritage, linked to natural resources. He added that the successful hatching of the Houbara bustard chick is just one initiative which comes as part of efforts to protect this bird and other endangered species.
According to international environmental preservation agencies, the population of Houbara bustards has been dropping significantly since 2005. This has threatened the desert fowl with extinction, said the Centre.
Over the past few years, the centre has conducted highly advanced research programmes to inject reproductive cells from Houbara bustard eggs into chicken embryos, according to a statement by the Centre.
The Centre is part of the huge efforts being made by Abu Dhabi, and the UAE, to protect the Houbara bustard using state-of-the-art techniques and most recent scientific innovations.
