One of the new residents settling in. Photo: The Green Planet
One of the new residents settling in. Photo: The Green Planet
One of the new residents settling in. Photo: The Green Planet
One of the new residents settling in. Photo: The Green Planet

The Green Planet in Dubai welcomes two new anacondas to indoor forest


Evelyn Lau
  • English
  • Arabic

One of the most recognisable snakes in the world is now calling The Green Planet home.

Adding to its growing list of creatures housed at its biodome in Dubai, two anacondas — whose names and genders have yet to be revealed — have made their way to the family-friendly attraction.

The snakes each measure about four metres in length and hail from South America.

Visitors can book tickets to observe the reptiles up close in the recently renovated nocturnal walkthrough area of the attraction's indoor rainforest.

There are also other nocturnal animals to spot such as a prehensile-tailed porcupine, armadillos, tamandua anteaters, a family of slow lorises, Burmese pythons and forest scorpions.

In June, The Green Planet relaunched its overnight camping experience to the public. Visitors are able to sleep among the more than 3,000 animals and plants that call the biodome home.

Scroll the gallery below to see The Green Planet at night

Meet the creatures inside The Green Planet

The family-friendly facility is home to a wide range of creatures, including Fluffy the bearcat, a male binturong that's The Green Planet's biggest furry resident, as well as cotton-top tamarin monkey twins that were born at the dome.

In 2019, the team took in an abandoned slow loris that was rescued from Dubai's streets. Lonely Loris, as he is called, was found abandoned in a box and is thought to have been illegally trafficked. The doe-eyed primate is a Sunda slow loris from Java, Indonesia. There are nine species of slow loris, which originate from Asia, and they are at significant risk of extinction in the wild, sharing the same critical status as African elephants, gorillas and orangutans.

A few months later, Amal, a second slow loris, was brought to the facility for breeding purposes.

Scroll the gallery below to see what else is inside The Green Planet

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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The Outsider

Stephen King, Penguin

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes
Scores

Day 2

New Zealand 153 & 56-1
Pakistan 227

New Zealand trail by 18 runs with nine wickets remaining

Virtuzone GCC Sixes

Date and venue Friday and Saturday, ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City

Time Matches start at 9am

Groups

A Blighty Ducks, Darjeeling Colts, Darjeeling Social, Dubai Wombats; B Darjeeling Veterans, Kuwait Casuals, Loose Cannons, Savannah Lions; Awali Taverners, Darjeeling, Dromedary, Darjeeling Good Eggs

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Updated: August 08, 2022, 12:54 PM