Al Ain Zoo
was founded in 1968 by the late Sheikh Zayed and includes more than 4300 animals
including 2,500 mammals, 1,200 birds and 600 reptiles.
Zoo is
located in Al Ain city in the eastern region of the Abu Dhabi Emirate, which is
150 km east of Abu Dhabi city and 140 km south of Dubai.
Al Ain Zoo
introduces conservation and breeding program for the Arabian oryx and many
other rare species of oryx and gazelle, as well as Arabian Leopard, are
protected there.
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| Arabian Oryx & Gazelle |
The African
Mixed Exhibit, one of the most popular exhibits in the zoo, allows you to watch
giraffe, zebra, gemsbok, gazelle, ostrich, wildebeest and rhinoceros roam
freely on more than 5 hectares of open space. There are very rare species of
Nubian giraffe in Al Ain Zoo who are exhibited and bred at the very few zoos in
the world.
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African Exhibit
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Big Cat
collections include African lions, African leopards, jaguars, pumas and tigers.
The most popular animals are white tigers who ambassadors for the critically
endangered tiger in the wild.
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| White tigers |
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| African lions |
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| Leopards |
White
lions of Sanbona, South Africa, look really beautiful when they are basking in
the sun, climbing on the rocks or romping around in the exhibit. White lions are threatened by extinction. Today,
only 20,000 lions survive in the wild.
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| White lion (female) |
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| White lion (male) |
Zoo has the
Bird House with 25 different species of birds such the Purple Glossy starling,
the White-Cheeked Bulbul, the South American Humboldt penguins, the falcon
family, the Desert eagle owl, the Barn owl, the Milky eagle owl and etc. You
can see Bird show every day at 6:45 p.m. where falcons, eagles, owls and vultures represent
you their extraordinary skill of hunting.
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| Bird House exhibit |
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| Outside Bird exhibit |
The Reptile House has 30 indoor exhibits and 3 outdoor displays. You can
see array of reptiles from all over the world as well as
wonderful indigenous species such as the Diadem Snake of the UAE, the
Red-Tailed Boa of South America, the African Spur Thighed Tortoise of arid land
in North Africa, the Spiny Tailed Agama of North Africa and Arabia and the Corn
Snake of the USA. And don't miss the UAE Sand Boa - an unusual looking snake
belonging to the Python family.
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| Peptile house |
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| Crocodiles |
There
is also Nocturnal House where you can see nocturnal animals such as sand cats, hedgehogs
and different species of rodents.
And there are many other exhibits of animals around the zoo.
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| Meerkat |
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| African Wild Dog |
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| Spotted Hyena |
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| Wolves |
The
zoo opens daily from 9a.m to 8p.m in cool time (from October till June) and
from 4p.m to 10p.m (from June till October). And it opens from 6p.m to midnight
during Ramadan and from 10a.m to 10 p.m. during national holidays.
