Coming soon, the world’s first Arabian sand cat specialised centre
Children’s Virtual camps… an entertaining interactive learning experience
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AHLAN SERVICE .. touring in luxury amidst the wildlife
Najma can turn her head around 270 degrees and hunt using extraordinary hearing ability
Free tickets to kids sharing their artwork
White tigers only exist in a few countries around the world or in animal collections, their unique coat is caused by a recessive gene.
The white tiger is listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The future of the wild tigers relies on preventing illegal hunting practices and conserving their natural habitat in their home countries to support large tiger populations.
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16-17
08-09
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Photo by: Muhammad Osama
“Al Ain Zoo has demonstrated its effectiveness and dedication to two critical goals: the preservation of nature and the attraction of Emirati youth to this vital field, which our father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, recognized 50 years ago.”
“We have faith in the institutions, entities, and individuals who prioritize the preservation of our natural resources and the empowerment of our youth, and we wish Al Ain Zoo all the best.”
Abu Dhabi Events
Event: ADSC Virtual Duathlon
Location: Virtual Event
Date: 18-19 May
Event: Abu Dhabi International Book Fair
Location: ADNEC
Date: 23-29 May
Event: Lates: Wednesday Dome Edition
Location: Louvre Abu Dhabi
Date: Valid until May 26
Event: Ramadan Virtual Run: Run To The Future
Location: Virtual Event
Date: Valid until May 30
Event: Mina Zayed: Reflections on Past Futurese
Location: Virtual Event
Date: Valid until May 30
Event: Online calligraphy demonstration and talk
Location: Virtual Event
Date: Valid until Jun 12
Event: Abstraction and Calligraphy − Towards a Universal Language
Location: Louvre Abu Dhabi
Date: Valid until Jun 12
Event: TrainYAS Ladies
Location: Yas Marina Circuit
Date: Valid until Dec 31
Event: Qattara Arts Centre Workshops
Location: Al Qattara Arts Centre - Al Ain
Date: Valid until Dec 31
H.E Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri Board member
of Zoo & Aquarium
Public Institution in Al Ain
For more information, call 800555
Ahlan Special Service
Wandering with luxury among the wildlife
Of the many great talented teams at Al Ain Zoo, the staff at Ahlan Special Service are in a unique position as they get to interact closely with the guests, ensuring their comfort and satisfaction with the venue’s many amazing services as they explore the vast exhibits at Al Ain Zoo.
The journey begins with ensuring the golf carts are ready and charged, and Ahlan Majlis is ready for the arrival of guests. They conduct routine checks for upcoming bookings, contact the visitors to verify arrival time and ensure the right team members are ready to welcome guests. In instances where there was no advanced booking, the team promotes the service at the VIP ticket window.
Upon arrival, a member of the Ahlan Service team welcomes the guests to the Ahlan Majlis, and leads them on a 90-minute tour at Al Ain Zoo which consists of five stops, including the Giraffe Feeding Experience, Hippo and Crocodile Exhibit, Reptile House ,Birds World and Children’s Zoo, with the final stop at the Big Cat Oasis.
During this tour, guests learn some amazing and exciting facts about many wild animals and predators, the levels of threats they face in the wild, and the means to conserve them.
Virtual camp for children...
provide interactive learning in a fun environment
Inspiring ideas are the fuel of successful projects, and the persistence of creative ideas, even during the challenging times of COVID-19 pandemic, resulted in many initiatives such as the virtual camps at Al Ain Zoo. The camps were inspired by attractive and useful insights learned by experience, highlighting the need for continuous learning and creativity.
The Zoo has launched several virtual educational programs creatively, away from the traditional formats to introduce a new, interactive learning experience with the aim of raising awareness among students of all ages towards the valuable resources and the great nontraditional jobs at the Middle East’s largest zoo.
Al Ain Zoo implemented its first virtual winter camp in 2020, which focused on various jobs and career paths at the zoo through various educational workshops and tours,
in addition to highlighting the zoo’s role and ability to cope with the current circumstances.
Moreover, the Zoo partnered with the Ministry of Education to take part in the “Nature Explorers” virtual summer students camp, which included several activities such as interviews with animal keepers, a virtual tour in the world’s largest man-made safari, as well as presentations by the veterinary and conservation team. It also participated in the spring camp “Spring Club” for virtual student activities, presenting a workshop titled “Animal World” that attracted more than 300 students.
Social distancing doesn’t stop us from interacting with the little creative minds through our virtual camps that help develop their skills and provide them with knowledge and expertise, thereby enhancing their research and exploration capabilities and igniting their curiosity towards more fun and learning .
Experiences
Khanasoor
Pain reliever and anti-inflammatory
Family: Apocynaceae
Plant name: Khanasoor, Dhaga or Dhakboos
Scientific name: Caralluma arabica
DESCRIPTION
A perennial, succulent, standing plant, reaching a height of 30 cm, and it is one of the most famous herbs in the UAE mountains. It is a perennial plant whose age sometimes reaches ten years, with strong and short roots that do not penetrate deep into the ground and it grows between stones and in the tops of the mountains. It prefers the lack of water and tolerates extreme heat and harsh cold.
Height reaches
Traditional uses
It’s an edible plant, grinded to make tea to treat liver diseases, and it is also used to treat the high blood pressure when eat it with salad, and in Saudi Arabia, the seeds of the plant are used for diuresis and in Oman, fresh leaves are placed on burns in order to calm them, relieve pain, and as an anti-inflammatory.
Habitats:
The khanasoor plant is found on the foothills of the mountains in the UAE, among the rocks and at altitudes above 200 meters. It is an uncommon plant, but it is widespread in the mountains.
Where to find in Al Ain Zoo:
The plant is located at the employees’ main entrance, and in the Children’s zoo next to the Education Center.
Annual vaccinations… Preventive program protecting animals’ health
Al Ain Zoo maintains the highest standards in protection and veterinary care for its animal population, ensuring biodiversity and all aspects of nature conservation.
Part of these regular essential efforts and health services is the animal vaccination program, which is carried out according to a scientific methodology in order to protect the animals at Al Ain Zoo from infectious diseases, ensure their health and safety and reduce mortality and morbidity rates. All of these factors result in reducing losses of species
To that end, a highly skilled veterinary care team offers a wide range of veterinary services, including prevention programs for diseases transferred among animals. A total of 2,336 animals of all
species received vaccinations in 2019-2020, with an additional 1654 animals receiving vaccination since the beginning of this year.
These vaccinations are administered according to precise schedules and annual disease prevention plans to ensure the health and safety of animals.
A blood sample from each animal is taken to the lab to be tested, then the vaccination dose is set depending on each animal’s age and weight, prioritizing infectious diseases. In addition, supplementary vitamins are administered to ensure the general health and wellbeing of all animals.
THE PROUD PEACOCK AND THE BLACK DUCK
The peacock was used to strutting around the forest everyday, full of swagger and feeling proud of his beauty and colorful feather, like a prince among animals. He would go about on his way mocking other animals daily and belittling them while arrogantly spreading his tail.
One of these days he came across a black duck, as usual he started taunting her and flaunting his colourful coat saying: “What do you think of my amazing colours compared to your monochromatic coat? You must be jealous of my outstanding beauty, I pity you, you look just like a dark cloud. You are only good for soaking yourself in still water all day and send out annoying noises. Just look at yourself drenched water all day, I truly pity you.”
The black duck calmly replied with a smile on her face: “How about a swimming race in this beautiful fresh water and you can show me some of your skills instead of your constant mockery. It is a nice bright day and some water play will only make it nicer.”
The proud peacock replied: “Have you gone mad? Why should I compete with an ugly and insignificant animal like you? You will never reach my level of beauty.”
All the other animals were watching this conversation between the peacock and the duck. They cheered for the competition and insisted to have this exciting race.
The duck swam freely and rapidly, while the peacock was about to drown. Blinded by his vanity, he tried and pretended to swim but kept failing.
When the duck saw that happening, she felt scared for him and called out for help with her strong voice and all the animals rushed to save the peacock and help him.
The peacock was embarrassed of himself and was touched with the attitude of the duck and the other animals. Then he apologized to them and asked for forgiveness promising to be a humble and faithful friend.
The first specialized centre for the breeding of Arabian sand cats
Al Ain Zoo will soon welcome guests to the world’s first dedicated centre for breeding the rare Arabian Sand Cat. Spanning an area of 279 m2, the centre is set to host the world’s largest Arabian Sand Cat population in breeding groups between 15 to 20.
The centre will be devoted to the care and reproduction of these shy animals with strict criteria that takes into account their sensitivity to respiratory infections by controlling the temperature and humidity of the shelters. The breeding centre will contribute towards increasing the numbers of sand cats in breeding programs and improving the genetic diversity of the population.
The centre will also offer specialized visits for researchers and those interested in becoming acquainted with the Arabian sand cats while studying their behavior and working to improve the outcome of the breeding programs.
Breeding Arabian sand cat at Al Ain Zoo
Al Ain Zoo is at the forefront of zoos in the world by embracing the largest group of the Arabian sand cat family in the world, and has had great success in the breeding and ex-situ conservation of the species.
Genetic research in Scotland for Arabian sand cats
Al Ain Zoo, in collaboration with the Royal Zoological Society Scotland, has conducted genetic analyses for Arabian sand cats. This helped us to identify the most suitable cats for reproduction and how to improve the genetic health of the population. Other research focused on looking at the genetic differences between sand cats from Africa, Arabia and Asia.
The success of the first artificial insemination experiment for Arabian sand cats
In collaboration with the Cincinnati Zoo in the US and its Center for Research of Endangered Wildlife, CREW, Al Ain Zoo assisted in the first successful artificial insemination in sand cats. As part of an assisted reproduction project based in Cincinnati, an IVF and embryo transfer project focused on sand cats was launched. In 2010, the first successful pregnancy and birth took place in Al Ain. Sperm was also collected from 4 male Arabian sand cats in Al Ain Zoo, which was frozen and transferred to the US. Later in 2018, the sperm samples were used to breed cats from North America, Europe and the Middle East, which resulted in the birth of three cats. Unfortunately, they died due to complications during birth.
Animal World with National Geographic From Lethal Trap To Treasure
During a five-hour search, a team can collect about 200 traps, which local artisans craft into sculptures of giraffes, hippos, and other wildlife that populate the park
Jani Hall pencil Lens: Esther Ruth Mbabazi
Twice a month, conservation biologist Tutilo Mudumba and several of his colleagues, along with staffers from the Uganda Wildlife Authority, pile into four-wheel-drive vehicles. Their mission? To find and remove snares—wire traps intended to kill wildlife—in northwestern Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park. Recent research suggests poachers set more illegal snares per square mile in this park than anywhere else in the world.
Most poachers here target antelope, buffalo, or warthogs for meat, but elephants, giraffes, and other animals also stumble into the traps. Villages north of the park are among the
poorest in Uganda, and many of the snares are set by impoverished locals seeking proteinrich sustenance.
Since 2015 Mudumba, a National Geographic explorer, has taken part in snare-removal operations in the park as the co-founder of Snares to Wares. The nonprofit engages community members to transform recovered snares into intricate sculptures of African wildlife. In addition to learning skills as artisans, the employees earn an income that allows them to afford other types of food, as well as basic needs such as medicine
EXCLUSIVE
SNEAK PEEKS ... STAY CLOSE!
Najma the Owl..
Zoolife: “Hi Najma, you look so cool, how could you manage to catch this long strip of meat so fast?”
Najma: “Ohh, it is one of the guests’ favourite attractions at the Wings of Sahara Show, I present a segment showcasing our hunting skills by swallowing a long strip of meat without even chewing, while my friend Barney presents another segment showcasing our amazing hearing ability by finding the sound source in the wooden boxes.”
Zoolife: “I have noticed something peculiar while you were flying, your wings don’t make any sound?”
Najma: “Owls hunt very quietly, we don’t make any sound even as we approach our prey, this is because our feathers differ from other birds, and I can tell you another amazing fact about our hunting skills.”
Zoolife: “Please tell me.”
Najma: “Because of our extraordinary hearing abilities, which operates just like radar, we can hunt without relying on eyesight, but rather we rely on this ability and accurate hearing.”
Zoolife: “I don’t rule that out, your eyes don’t even move!”
Najma: “Unlike other birds whose eyes are on the sides of their head, owls’ eyes are the most front facing, this also explains why we rotate our heads around 270 degrees, so I can see clearly around me.”
Zoolife: “I see you blink in a strange way as well, how do you do that?”
Najma: “I have three eyelids, an upper and lower, and the third one is called the nictitating membrane, I close the upper eyelid when I blink
and the lower one when I sleep, as for the third eyelid, it is made out of thin layer of membrane closing diagonally across the eye from inside to the outside, a quick blink with this third eyelid cleans and moisturizes the eye.
Zoolife: “You are full of wonder my dear friend; you have amazed me with these facts which not so many know. Add to this your calmness and kind heart, it was a real pleasure chatting with you, I will let you go back to the Wings of Sahara Show as I can see many guests waiting for you on the stands.”
Owls can turn their heads around 270 degrees and hunt quietly using its extraordinary hearing ability.
Najma
My hunting show is a guests’ favourite at Wings of Sahara Show
Najma: “Yes, I must go back to the show as the eagles and falcons’ show has ended, Thank my dear zoolife for your visit.”
Zoolife: “I am actually going back to the stands, I don’t think I can get enough of watching the amazing show.”
Najma: “Thank you my dear friend.”
Title of the project: ship of the desert Aldar- Al Ain Academy school
Name:Sophie Noel Baroudi
Spot 5 differences
Where can I find Khanasoor plant at Al Ain Zoo?
check the opposite page to discover the answer
Can you help the Sand Cat get his favorite food?
Khanasoor can be found in the children’s zoo near to the education centre.
