Zoos of the United Arab Emirates
Peter is an independent international zoo consultant, critic and writer with over 50 years of work within zoos.
Zoos of the UAE
The United Arab Emirates is made up of the seven former trucial states now united under one flag. They vary both in size and in wealth.
There has always been an interest in wildlife in the Arab world and the UAE is no different. Primarily this centres around the falcon and its prey species but the love and appreciation of other animals is quite obvious even to the casual visitor.
Sadly much of this interest is misguided and there are numerous secret private collections holding big cats, Orangutans and more. Where money is of no matter then anything can be purchased by those who desire. These places are supplied by people who take advantage of the buyers by lies and extraction of large amounts of cash. Wild Cheetah populations are under threat by the actions of these unscrupulous uncaring people.There are no legally held Orangutans in the UAE.
I cast no judgement on the staff working in any of these collections because these are Zoo Keepers and in general Zoo Keepers Care.
Happily there are other private collections which have a genuine interest in conservation and all it entails. When I first worked in the Emirates in the early 1970s the establishment in which I worked had around seven Arabian Oryx which we bred up in goodly numbers. Elsewhere in the UAE I visited or was to some degree was involved with private collections which had around another hundred animals between them. Unseen to the general world the survival of the Oryx was in good hands. In 2021 there were 6,900 living Arabian Oryx recorded in the United Arab Emirates. I was instrumental in re-locating some of the first of these animals to Sir Bani Yas and Abu Al Abyad.
It was on one such trip that I had my one and only 'one to one' meeting with Shaikh Zâyed bin Sulṭân Âl Nahyân the ruler and founding father of the UAE. I had met him several times before but always with his bodyguards or family. This was different. I will remember meeting always. He was different. He was a great man.
Elsewhere in the Arabian Gulf the 'animal scene' was probably the same. I recollect that it was in 1965 (two years before I started my zoo career) that I was first nearly impaled by an Arabian Oryx. This in a private garden on the outskirts of Kuwait City.
My interest in animals was sparked in 1951 by regular visits to 'The Nursery' in Ahmadi, Kuwait where there was a collection of well cared for gazelles and other animals. My first visit to the 'old' Kuwait Zoo in 1956 left me with altogether different feelings.
Is It A Zoo?
Some of these collections will claim that they are not a zoo but 'something else'. It means nothing. If they are wild animals being held captive then it IS a zoo. It matters little if they are held in a thousand acres, if there is a fence around it and they are being provided some food and water then it IS a zoo.
Whether is a GOOD zoo or a DYSFUNCTIONAL ZOO is an altogether different matter.
United Arab Emirates
The List Below
The list of animal collections below is not comprehensive. There are others of which I am aware but don't have enough details.I make no distinction of what is good, bad or indifferent.
Please do not contact me for further information on any of these. Private means Private.
Abu Dhabi
Abu al Abyad Island
Private - Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi National Aquarium
Al Qana, Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi Natural History Museum And Aquarium
Khalifa Park, Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi Wildlife Centre
Mussafah Al Ain Truck Road, Abu Dhabi
Al Ajban Trophy Hunting & Desert Safari
Private - Abu Dhabi
Al Ain Zoo
Al Ain City
Aquarium Restaurant
Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi
Arabian oryx collection of HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed
Private - Bu Deep
Bani Yas Island - Arabian Wildlife Park
Sir Bani Yas Island, Jebel Dhanna
Barari Hunting Resort
Al Ain
Emirates Park Zoo
Al Rahba city, Abu Dhabi
National Avian Research Centre
Sweihan, Abu Dhabi
Private Collection
Private - Abu Dhabi
SeaWorld Abu Dhabi
Yas Island, Abu Dhabi (Not yet opened)
The Management of Nature Conservation
Jebel Hafeet, Al Ain
Other locations
Wrsan Farm
Private - Al Ajban - Abu Dhabi
Arabian Oryx
Ajman
Private Collection
Arabian Sand Cat
Dubai
Al Marmoon Conservation Reserve
Al Qudra Road, Seeh Al Salam
Atlantis Dolphin Bay
The Palm, Dubai
Atlantis Lost Chambers Aquarium
The Palm, Dubai
Belhasa Farm
Private - Al Khawaneej, Dubai
Burj Al Arab Aquarium
Jumeirah, Dubai
Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo
The Dubai Mall
Dubai Butterfly Palace
(Under construction) Dubai
Dubai Crocodile Park
(Under Construction) Close to the Mushrif Reserve and Dubai Safari.
Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve
Dubai Desert
Dubai Dolphinarium
Creek Park, Dubai
Jumeirah, Dubai.....NOW CLOSED
Dubai Safari Zoo
Al Warqa 5 - Dubai
Exo-Terra
Uptown Mirdif Mall, Dubai
Green Planet
Dubai
H.E. Sheikh Butti Maktoum's Wildlife Center
Private - Dubai
Jumeirah Turtle Rehabilitation
Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah
Legoland Dubai
Submarine Adventure Aquarium
Mushrif Park Petting Zoo
Dubai
Nakheel Farm
Private - Dubai
Mall of the Emirates, Al Barsha, Dubai
Wadi Al Safa Wildlife Centre
Private - Dubai
Zabeel Palace
Private - Dubai
Zayed Bin Mohammed Zoo
Private - Dubai
Houbara Bustard
Fujaira
Al Mayya Sanctuary
Private
Arabian Tahr Breeding Centre
Wadi Wurayah National Park
***
Arabian Desert Hare
Ras Al Khaimah
Ras Al Khaimah Wildlife Park
Ras al Khaimah
Dugong
Sharjah
Al Bustan Zoological Garden
Private - Al Dhaid, Sharjah
Al Bustan Farm
Private - Sharjah
Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre
Sharjah Kalba road near the emirate’s east coast
Elebriddi Wildlife Protected Area ( Seih Al Bardi Park )
Private - Al Dhaid, Sharjah - Will open to the public shortly as one of the Worlds Biggest Safari Parks.
Kalba Bird of Prey Centre
Al Gheel Fortress, Kalba, Sharjah
Khor Kalba Turtle Wildlife Sanctuary
Kalba, Sharjah
Masoud Al hammad Private Zoo
Sharqan, Sharjah
Posh Paws Animal Sanctuary and Petting Farm
Al Zubair, Sharjah
Sharjah Aquarium
Al Khan Old Area, Sharjah
Sharjah Desert Park - Arabia's Wildlife Centre
Al Dhaid Road, Sharjah
Saw-scaled Viper
Umm Al Quwain
SHEIKH KHALIFA BIN ZAYED CENTRE for Marine Research and Aquarium
Not open to the public
Umm Al Quwain Zoo Wildlife Park
Private, but open to the public. Kabir – Umm Al Quwain
Arabian Wolf
Where Do The UAE Zoos Go From Here?
There were plans to set up the Arabian Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Several UAE Zoos attended the early meetings. Further meetings were attended by staff from other Middle Eastern zoos. Unfortunately the set up foundered. I am unaware of the present status.
This is no easy task for the UAE let alone giving consideration to the rest of Arabia. Opinions on what is 'good' or 'bad' differ so widely. There are those who believe that Playing with Lions and Tigers or breeding or keeping mutations and hybrids is a good thing....when it most definitely isn't.
The easy way out would to base the articles of the Association on something similar which exists elsewhere. However there are bad Associations in the same way there are bad zoos. It must go further than that. I believe that the implementation of Zoo Legislation needs to be put in place before or in tandem with the Association. This way the wheat can be sorted from the chaff right at the start. I have great faith that the UAE will move this way eventually so sooner rather than later would be a good move.
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Comments
CMHypno from Other Side of the Sun on July 24, 2014:
Very interesting hub on zoos in the UAE. I think it's a shame there are still people in the world who still view wild animals as possessions they can own and play with. But hopefully, the new Association will come together and play a big part in regulating and educating in the region
Vivian Sudhir from Madurai, India on July 19, 2014:
Truly amazing collection of animals in the desert region. Wonderful to see them all living in harmony together.
FlourishAnyway from USA on July 19, 2014:
The secret private collections concern me. I love animals and don't like the notion that they may be exploited.
