Arabian Ark helps save wildlife from extinction

Oryx, giraffes and cheetahs roam an “Arabian Ark” nature reserve on a desert Gulf island where species once facing extinction in the region are making a comeback.

Since animals were first brought to Sir Bani Yas off the coast of Abu Dhabi more than four decades ago, their total population has soared to more than 13,000.

Twenty-five species of mammals and 170 types of birds are found in a nature reserve covering an area of 1,400 hectares (3,500 acres).

They include striped hyenas, caracals — also known as the desert lynx — and the Arabian tahr, a small goat-like mammal indigenous to the Hajar Mountains between the UAE and Oman.

Some species are, or were, endangered in the region, or even extinct in the wild.

The reserve began as an initiative by late UAE founder Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan al-Nahayan who started bringing animals to Sir Bani Yas in 1971.

“He started developing the island into a nature reserve and the idea back then was to create an Arabian Ark for his people,” said Marius Prinsloo, general manager of operations at the island.

Original article by Wissam Keyrouz

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Arabian Ark helps save wildlife from extinction