Al Ain Zoo

Al Ain Zoo
Al Ain Zoo
	Al Ain zoo entrance
	24°10′34″N 55°44′19″E / 24.176081°N 55.738492°E
Date opened	1969
Location	Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
Land area	400 ha (990 acres)
Memberships	WAZA
Website	www.alainzoo.ae

Al Ain Zoo (Template:Lang-arمنتزه العين للحياة البرية ) is a 400-hectare (990-acre) zoo located in the foothills of the Jebel Hafeet Mountains in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. It mainly comprises Arabian antelopes and oryx, eland, gazelle, lechwe and can be found in the tree shaded paddocks which offer excellent breeding conditions.^[2]

The Al Ain Zoo hosts the almost extinct white lion (less than 200 remain in the world).^{[citation needed]}

History

The zoo features a big cat house. Lions, pumas, black and spotted leopards and jaguars are found here. In addition to this, it also has a reptile house, monkey compounds, aquarium and aviary. From February 2010 until July 2010, the Al Ain Zoo hosted the "Dinosaur Trail", a small section which includes around 15 to 20 mechanical dinosaurs with sensors such as the T. rex as well as information about the dinosaur such as when they lived, which parts of the (current) world they would have been found, their height, diet, etc.^{[citation needed]}

There is a bird show featuring predatory birds and night birds that lasts 30 minutes starting at 7 pm. The dinosaur trail is open until 8 pm. Wheelchairs are available on request.

To walk around the zoo and see all the animals would take approximately 2 hours (the Dinosaur Trail should not take longer than 10 to 15 minutes, inclusive of taking photographs).

The zoo also has a "train" with open carriages. It does not enter the "yellow" section which hosts the African lion, Bengal tiger, chimpanzee, puma, salt water crocodile, panther, Nile crocodile and leopard. The Al Ain Zoo is home to over 4,000 animals, with at least 30% of its 180 species considered endangered. Conservation efforts have been strengthened by partnerships with San Diego Zoo. This 900-hectare park near the base of Jebel Hafeet is where visitors can see a large animal collection in enclosures that closely resemble their natural habitats. There are plenty of green public spaces for picnics and also playgrounds, a cafeteria and a train tour of the wildlife area. Giraffe feeding, camel riding and ‘Elezba’ petting zoo are the latest interactive activities. Visitors can enjoy feeding the giraffe treats such as carrots or lettuce five times daily in a special area. Designed in the style of a local farm, the ‘Elezba’ petting zoo lets families feed and play with sheep, goats, camels, llamas, chicken and ducks, enjoy camel riding or picnic in a designated area. A fun-filled, outdoor learning scheme designed to inspire children with a love for biodiversity, this garden beauty of plants. The garden features a rolling hill, mixed use play areas, picnic spots, a flower garden and native plant garden with species indigenous to the UAE, a recycling garden and a vegetable, fruit and herb garden. With spectacular African Baobab trees framing the area, the towering trunks offer a genuine horticulture lesson in how specific plants can adapt to dry soil conditions.

Expansion plans

The zoo is currently^[when?] preparing to expand with work on its perimeters going on at the moment in order to build new sites such as the conservation and breeding centre, African Safari, World Desert Zoo, Sheikh Zayed Desert Learning Centre.^{[citation needed]}