Al Ain Zoo raises awareness on conserving wildlife

AL AIN: As part of its ongoing efforts to increase awareness about conserving wildlife, Al Ain Zoo celebrated World Wildlife Day.

Since its inception, the Zoo has made continued efforts to conserve nature and wildlife, becoming a sanctuary for more than 4,000 animals.

Over recent decades, Al Ain Zoo has become one of the leading institutions when it comes to breeding threatened species, utilising its expertise in bringing the count of Arabian Oryx up to 180.

Al Ain Zoo was also successful in breeding and conserving Arabian Sand Cat, increasing their number to 38. Other work includes routine studies into the numerous species of threatened migrating birds arriving in the UAE and butterflies in the wild, in order to assess their count and improve the environment. In total, 14 species of wild butterflies have been recorded so far.

It has also taken part in setting strategies and plans to the Dama Gazelle Conservation Strategy 2019-2028, in partnership with several local, regional and international organisations in order to reduce its extinction risk.

The Dama Gazelle is listed as a critically endangered species on IUCN, and Al Ain Zoo is home to around 80, which belong to the mhorr gazelle and addra gazelle subspecies.

The Zoo also succeeded in breeding one of the most threatened plants locally. The Ghadhaf grows slowly, taking several months to sprout. Al Ain Zoo works to propagate these types of native plants, along with several others, in order to preserve them from extinction.

Al Ain Zoo does not limit its efforts to research and specialised elements only, it supports the community by educating the public on several topics by organising a series of activations throughout the year, including camping, hosting events and media appearances.

In addition, many academic and educational publications highlight the importance of conserving threatened animals and plants to maintain biodiversity and conserve nature.