Crocodile Park construction work to begin next month

dubai — The Dubai Municipality on Thursday announced that it will begin the construction of the region’s first crocodile park next month.

In one year, crocodiles including the Nile crocodile, will move in to the Dubai, enthralling residents and visitors, especially the children.

The park will be home to hundreds of crocodiles, and the Dubai Crocodile Park will be completed by the end of 2016, the civic body said in a media statement.

The project was announced in April 2012 and in June 2013, the municipality signed a Dh10million deal with a French company to set up the park.

The Memorandum of Understanding with White Oryx Investment LLC authorised the firm to complete the project in 24 months on a build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis.

Khalifa Abdullah Hareb, the director of the Assets Management Department at the municipality, told Khaleej Times the civic body has solved all the hurdles that had caused the delay in starting the project.

“The French company officials will be flying in next month to start the construction,” he said.

The 20,000 square metre Crocodile Park will be built 10km from Dubai Airport near Mushrif Park, and close to the upcoming projects Dubai Safari and the Birds and Pets Market.

It will be accessible from Shaikh Mohammad bin Zayed Road, Tripoli Street and Al Khawaneej.

Modelled after existing crocodile farms in Pierrelatte in France and Djerba in Tunisia, the facility has been designed to be a tourist landmark that will serve as an environmental reserve for the conservation of the aquatic reptiles.

Hareb said the park will adhere to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and enable schools, universities and research centres to conduct studies on crocodiles.

Faridoon Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Awadi, head of the Investment Section, said the visitors will be charged a reasonable fee for enjoying an exciting tour of the facility, which will look akin to a natural water reservoir in Africa.

The visitors will be able to discover the different stages of crocodiles’ life such as egg laying, hatching, growing, breeding, family life etc and also see the reptiles while relaxing, crawling, swimming and diving.