In one of the world's richest cities, admirable efforts are on for the rescue and rehabilitation of endangered animal species. Welcome to the Abu Dhabi Wildlife Centre (ADWC), a sanctuary for big cats that have been abused and neglected or whose owners have simply grown tired of them. Located in the Arabian desert by the lakes of Al Wathba, it is home to other species as well. The Centre is managed by Ronel Smuts and her two grown children, Chrissie and Steve.
"We never turn an animal away," is the Smuts'family creed.
It's quite normal for hand-reared tigers, lions or cheetahs to poke their heads round the big squishy sofas in the Smuts'living room which looks remarkably like a traditional South African homestead. Ronel once had
14 cheetahs sharing the house and, of course, Shaggy the lion, who is now a little too big to be padding around the kitchen looking for food, though he still thinks that Ronel is his mum.
Financed entirely by Shaikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a banker, equestrian and leading conservationist, the ADWC is like a luxury five-star hotel for animals.
Big grassy pens to roam around in, imported rocks to simulate the African terrain, a plunge pond to cool down and all the livestock they can eat... The animals enjoy air-conditioned dens, which they retreat to during the midday sun.
Each unit is equipped with mosquito zappers so the pesky blighters don't trouble the moist and sensitive noses of these regal beasts. Each pen, whether it's for a pack of wolves, a tortoise, jaguar, tiger, Arabian caracal or white lion, has to be perfect, with the right number of trees and shrubs offering the precise amount of shade, diversion and pleasure. As for the crocodiles they have a nice pond.
The Centre will open to the public once the work is complete.
Schoolchildren will be encouraged to visit the interactive pet-pen where they can stroke the animals. Relax, they won't be patting crocodiles or playing with Arabian leopards – of which there are less than 300 left in the world.
They're more likely to be stroking rabbits and gazelles.
Moreover they'll learn a lot through a comprehensive education programme where they'll be taught
the importance of caring for animals and encouraged to respect and protect them. Kindness to animals is learned at our mother's knee.
Before highlighting the hardship most of these animals had to endure before arriving at the Centre let's take a peek at the Big Cat Rescue TV series. The good news is that this luxurious sanctuary for animals is the subject of a one-hour reality TV show being developed in Los Angeles for international distribution and will be followed by the series called Big Cat Rescue (BCR) which will be based at
the Centre.
Documentary filmmaker, creator and executive producer of Big Cat Rescue Michelle Nickelson divides her professional life between Los Angeles and Abu Dhabi where she morphs effortlessly into the lifestyle here, taking a keen interest in conservation, Arabian culture and folklore. Nickelson is also an accomplished horsewoman, writer and producer.
Nickelson has a long and distinguished history of service to the entertainment industry and is uniquely positioned to combine the expertise of US filmmaking with avowed Middle East aspirations to become a movie-making hub. Friday caught up with her in Abu Dhabi recently for a tete-a-tete.
What key factor sold the series?
I think the exciting bit is that it's a series filmed in the UAE for an international audience about how the Smuts have made saving these animals a priority. Susan Flanagan, an Emmy Award winner, president and executive producer for Creative Entertainment Media, is working on the script. It really looks good in terms of production and storyline.
Why did you go to Hollywood for the funding of a UAE project? Isn't the Abu Dhabi Film Fund meant for such projects?
The Abu Dhabi Film Festival and the concept of the Film Fund is an excellent one and it will be interesting to see how it pans out over the next few years. It seems some people in Hollywood think they can just come to the UAE for financing but are not aware of the nuances involved.
US filmmakers don't seem to be aware of regional sensitivities; they are more interested in producing a compelling story. I think one has to give serious consideration to the subject if they want to look for funding in the GCC. It's a different way of approaching the task of raising money.
But the Abu Dhabi Wildlife Centre and Big Cat Rescue can hardly be described as a controversial subject matter.
Well, initially it was difficult to get people to get interested in the project even though the idea is to promote the work of ADWC and highlight the conservation efforts that the UAE has implemented both nationally and abroad.
However, the environment division of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan donated the funds, along with the support from Al Bustan Wildlife Centre, to film the trailer and this was used to sell the concept. We are really grateful to both for their interest and support.
Now that there's a deal for European distribution for the series, we're speaking to sponsors who want to be involved and offset some of the costs.
The show will focus on animal conservation, much like the Crocodile Hunter TV series which Steve Irwin did. While his Australian Zoo was the base for his operations and crocodiles his passion, Irwin travelled all over the world, promoting animal awareness and conservation. BCR will be similar to this with the ADWC being the base of operations and the Smuts family as the ambassadors for the rescue of big cats.
On air
Big Cat Rescue will be under Creative Entertainment Media's distribution deal in Europe to supply programming to seven stations airing in 16 countries across Europe with a subscriber base of over 120 million households. Nickelson is actively looking for sponsorship from companies in the Middle East who want their goods and services to reach an international audience.
A series of commercials highlighting the attractions of Abu Dhabi would be seen by 120 million households – that's an impressive lot of potential tourists for the region if companies here take up sponsorship deals.
The pilot for the series has already been shot and shows a particularly dramatic and unscripted scene where Chance, one of the white lions, playfully leaps on Steve Smuts'back and then accidentally gnaws a
chunk from his leg.
"It was terrifying," says Nickelson who was filming at that moment. "Instinctively, we wanted to drop everything and help get the lion off him but Ronel told us he'd be OK and to carry on filming."
Actually that sounds about right because when Ronel was showing me round the Centre, all the big cats seemed to get quite frisky when they saw us and started bounding along the fence, watching us intently. "They really like you, they're excited to see you," I tell her.
"No, not really, it's because we're both limping. In the wild that would trigger the hunting reflex, it's easier to bring down wounded prey. They think we're prey, that's why they're excited." Ronel was limping because she was involved in a bad car crash last year, and I was dragging my leg because
I'd hurt my knee."
Anyway Steve wasn't too bothered to have nearly become a white lion's lunch and was very pleased to have played a starring role in Big Cat Rescue with Chance who upstaged him and stole the scene. Anyone who has worked with these magnificent creatures knows exactly what they
are capable of. They are wild animals, they play rough and have no predators apart from man.
Humans are the only race capable of wiping out an entire species, making us solely responsible for the extinction of so many animals. We are also their only hope.
The future survival of endangered species is in the hands of people like Shaikh Mansoor, the Smuts family and dedicated conservation groups and wildlife funds across the planet. All wildlife centres run comprehensive breeding initiatives and the ADWC is showing encouraging results.
Once the Abu Dhabi Wildlife Centre is open to the public we can all do our bit by adopting an animal.
It will be wonderful to give children the opportunity to learn first-hand about these lovely creatures and pay
a visit to the cubs when they are born. Adoptions are in name only, they don't actually go home with you. Donations made via animal adoption are used for the care, feeding and maintenance of the animals.
The Abu Dhabi Wildlife Centre is destined to become a household name very soon. I don't know about you, but I can't wait for Big Cat Rescue to hit our TV screens.
– Vivienne Swann is an Abu Dhabi-based freelancer
