DUBAI // The doors at Dubai Safari Park will open early next year, allowing the public to enjoy a spectacle that has been more than a decade in the making.
Final preparations are under way and the park, which is near Dragonmart, has quarantined its first animals for tests to ensure they are in good health and were not taken from the wild.
Animals on site at the 119-hectare phase one of the park include lions, antelopes, elephants and creatures from Australasia.
Phase two will involve animals from the Americas.
The facility will also be home to rescue animals that cannot be returned to the wild.
Tim Husband, the park’s technical director, said that two of his priorities will be animal welfare and education.
“It will be a jewel in the Dubai crown and it will show the rest of the world that there are people here who care about wildlife,” Mr Husband said. “You won’t be able to see it all in one day.”
The park will have a hotel complex by 2020.
“On a bad day, we would expect no fewer than 7,000 people through the gate,” said Mr Husband, adding that the park will foster ties with schools.
“Our generation has ruined the Earth, but it’s the kids who will make the decisions of the future. If you can get one kid passionate about wildlife and making the right decisions, then great,” he said.
The park replaces the current Dubai Zoo. It will host a breeding programme at the conservation centre that aims to release animals into the wild each year.
Those will include cats such as the caracal, the Arabian tahr – a mountain goat – oryx and gazelles.
Dr Reza Khan has been working with the UAE’s wildlife since 1983. He said: “We want schools and universities to come here and use our labs and facilities. We’ll have all the expertise here.”
Dr Sameeh Abu Tarbash, head of the veterinary school at UAE University, said teaming up with the park and its experts could be of great benefit to pupils. “As long as they have facilities that are a good learning environment for students, it’s a great idea,” he said. “We have one or two courses that cover zoo animals and wildlife, so it would be good to have more facilities for practical training.”
UAE University has links with Al Ain Zoo, and Dr Tarbash said access to more expertise and species can only be beneficial.
“It’s good to have different locations and to have more exposure to these environments for the students,” he said.
The rescue centre will include moon bears from South Korea, which are farmed for medicine and their paws. Paw soup is a delicacy. Many bear farms are being closed for welfare reasons, and Mr Husband has taken on four cubs, which the park plans to raise together.
Learning about such animals will go hand in hand with being a visitor, he said.
“If you must have a white tiger in the collection then you must use it to educate about the plight of the tiger and not just use it as a crowd puller,” said Mr Husband.
“It is also useful if we teach that the white tiger is not a natural colour and it’s only because man has inbred them to achieve this colour and, because of this, the white tiger has many problems.”
As an animal lover, he said that while captivity was not ideal, it was often the last resort for some species.
“In my opinion, I’d like there to be no more zoos but there’s no wild left for the animals. So many animals are getting poached, the forests and oceans are getting ruined. What we’re doing is keeping populations alive,” Mr Husband said.
mswan@thenational.ae
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
Company%20Profile
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Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Joker: Folie a Deux
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Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
RESULTS
Cagliari 5-2 Fiorentina
Udinese 0-0 SPAL
Sampdoria 0-0 Atalanta
Lazio 4-2 Lecce
Parma 2-0 Roma
Juventus 1-0 AC Milan
Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, Group C
Liverpool v Red Star Belgrade
Anfield, Liverpool
Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Results
ATP Dubai Championships on Monday (x indicates seed):
First round
Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
Fernando Verdasco (ESP) bt Thomas Fabbiano (ITA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
Marton Fucsovics (HUN) bt Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 6-1, 7-6 (7/5)
Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) bt Karen Khachanov (RUS x4) 6-4, 6-1
Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Milos Raonic (CAN x7) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
Mobile phone packages comparison
Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
WWE Evolution results
- Trish Stratus and Lita beat Alicia Fox and Mickie James in a tag match
- Nia Jax won a battle royal, eliminating Ember Moon last to win
- Toni Storm beat Io Shirai to win the Mae Young Classic
- Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley beat The Riott Squad in a six-woman tag match
- Shayna Baszler won the NXT Women’s title by defeating Kairi Sane
- Becky Lynch retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing match
- Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women’s title by beating Nikki Bella
Timeline
1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line
1962
250 GTO is unveiled
1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company
1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens
1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made
1987
F40 launched
1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent
2002
The Enzo model is announced
2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi
2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled
2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives
2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company
2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street
2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary
The specs: 2017 Maserati Quattroporte
Price, base / as tested Dh389,000 / Dh559,000
Engine 3.0L twin-turbo V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 530hp @ 6,800rpm
Torque 650Nm @ 2,000 rpm
Fuel economy, combined 10.7L / 100km