Al Ain zoo allays safety concerns

Al Ain: The zoo here is safe for visitors and is free from bird flu and wild snakes, a senior official has said.

The death of Tequila, a young chimpanzee, last year due to a snake bite and the huge bird population at the zoo have caused concerns among visitors to the park.

The new zoo management has decided to reduce it.

"We have too many birds and will reduce their number," said Mark Craig, new Director of Al Ain Zoological Park and Aquarium.

However, he clarified that the plan to reduce the bird population was not due to fears of bird flu. The big bird population is not necessary and is difficult to manage, he said.

New management plan

Craig said a new plan has been devised for the better management of animals and birds at the zoo and help create a modern zoo.

He said the administration is fully alert to the dangers of avian influenza that is currently a major source of concern in Europe, Asia, Africa and other parts of the world.

The UAE has already taken extensive measures to tackle bird flu.

Craig said the zoo is also free of wild snakes. "The zoo is completely safe for visitors."

He said incidents of snake bite were a rare occurrence at the zoo and none have been reported since he took over as director of the facility.

In November 2005, Dr Mohammad Sa'ad, the then acting director of the zoo, had confirmed that Tequila was bitten by a wild snake and not one of the zoo's other inmates as suspected earlier.

He had told Gulf News that the zoo, which has a huge open area, had problem with snakes and one or two animals, mainly dogs, die of snake bite every year.

Tequila, which once starred in an Animal Planet documentary, was found living in squalid conditions at a high-profile club in Abu Dhabi. She was rescued on April 26 and shifted to Al Ain Zoo, where she was quarantined before being allowed to join six other chimpanzees. A wild snake killed her in August last year.

Since the news of Tequila's death broke, people were concerned about the safety. Visitors of the zoo are often accompanied by children who play in the green and sandy areas of the park. There is, however, no known case of a human having been bitten by a snake at the zoo.