How over 549,000 UAE-bred houbara bustards released into wild
IFHC marks 40th anniversary of first hatch of chicks
The UAE has bred and released 549,816 houbara bustards into the wild through the efforts of the International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC) since 1998.
The Fund celebrated the 40th anniversary of its first hatch of captive-bred houbara chicks in the UAE at 19th Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (Adihex), being held in the capital till October 2.
The conservation programme fulfils the vision of the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, in ensuring the sustained population in the wild of two types of houbara bustards that are emblematic of the Arab culture: the North African and Asian houbara. The houbara bustards are considered vulnerable on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red list of threatened species.
“Our pioneering work at IFHC has paid off as we forge ahead in pushing the boundaries of conservation through continuous work in genetics and captive breeding. From heeding the call of the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan to recognising the need to save the houbara, our collective work has improved the species’ status from endangered to vulnerable on the IUCN red list. We have also reached significant milestones in raising awareness on houbara,” said Mohammad Al Baidani, IFHC’s directorgeneral.
Houbara research
As part of the celebration, IFHC has announced the release of 549,816 houbara bustards to 17 countries since 1998. According to studies conducted by the Fund, it has now been proven that the captive-bred houbara follow the same migration route as the wild houbara. The data, captured based on the latest scientific satellite tracking, confirmed that the captive-bred houbara released in Kazakhstan during the months of July to September arrived in the Arabian Peninsula during the month of November. The research findings support the fund in its evaluation to strategically consider the location and genetics of each bird when releasing houbara into the wild.
Globally, a total of 706,284 houbara bustards have been bred in captivity since 1996, with UAE as the top contributor producing 340,527. From the hatched houbara across the world, 549,816 were released.
IFHC is a world leader in preventing houbara bustard extinction. It has a global network of conservation efforts that aim to bring the number of houbara bustards back up to a sustainable level worldwide.
The UAE has seen the largest release of the Asian houbara bustard, totalling 98,182 from 2004 to 2022.