Kalba welcomes five endangered baby Damani gazelles

Sharjah:The Kalba Eco-tourism project welcomed its newest family members — three endangered Damani gazelles born this month, and two born in April to gazelles that had been released in the natural reserve a year ago.

The first group of endangered Damani gazelles was released in the Al Hafiya natural reserve in Kalba in May last year by His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. The release last year marked the inauguration of the first phase of the Kalba Eco-tourism project undertaken by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) in collaboration with the Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA) in Sharjah.

“The birth of the endangered Damani gazelles on April 4 and 7 followed by the birth of three more gazelles [born in May], which are known to be breeding in spring and autumn, bring the number of gazelles in the Al Hafiya protected area from 29 to 34,” Hana Saif Al Suwaidi, EPAA Director-General, said.

The endangered Damani gazelle is small in size and feeds on herbs that are rich in dew to compensate for the scarcity of water in the area they live in.

Hana noted that these births show that the gazelles have adapted to their natural habitat. It also proves that the natural reserve provides the type of healthy conditions needed to preserve the natural life cycle of the species.

Hana said there are future plans of releasing and re-introducing more endangered wild animals in the protected areas in Sharjah. The natural reserves in Kalba (Al Hafiya and Al Qurm natural reserves in Khor Kalba) will also be redeveloped as part of the first phase of the Kalba Eco-tourism project.

Marwan Bin Jasem Al Sarkal, CEO of Shurooq, welcomed the development. He emphasised its important contribution to Shurooq’s ecotourism, making it dependent on the sustainable development of ecological life and conservation of animal and plant resources in the region.

The Kalba Eco-Tourism project, the largest of its kind in the development of eco-tourism facilities in the UAE and the region, is being set up in Khor Kalba, 15 kilometres south of Fujairah city on the UAE-Oman border and features natural reserves and diverse tourist and commercial facilities.