Students release 46 houbaras in Abu Dhabi

abu dhabi — The International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC) celebrated the UAE 46th National Day by releasing 46 Asian Houbaras that were bred in captivity in the IFHC centres in the UAE wilderness.

The IFHC said the release was in tribute to the far-sighted vision of the founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, for conserving and protecting wildlife and nature. Each bird carries in its leg a light plastic circle decorated with the UAE flag colours in a symbolic act of flying the flag high.

Twenty-eight academically distinguished students of Remah Primary and Secondary Schools released the birds, during an event hosted by Remah hills in the Remah region, a well-known natural habitat for the bird.

Ali Mubarak Al Shamsi, the Acting Head of Communications and Public Relations at IFHC, said, “It is a historic and significant day we celebrate every year. It inspires the values of the union established by the founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.” Al Shamsi added that the participation of school students showcases the IFHC’s strategy of spreading awareness among the younger generation about the bird. He said his IFHC team noticed the enthusiasm of students from their numerous queries about the bird, its life, and its symbolism. The IFHC Houbara Captive Breeding Programme has succeeded in developing breeding techniques and it now stands as a reference point in the development of houbara captive breeding methods.