Dubai Safari to reopen in September

The long-awaited adventure sports, zipline and bungee jumping, could well be the new features at Dubai Safari Park when it opens its doors to public in September.

“The preparations are all done and in the next season it will be hopefully operating. It has three areas, Adventure value that has a zipline and bungee jumping facilities; a party area; and a splash zone for kids,” said Ahmad Al Zarouni, Director, Public Parks and Recreational Facilities.

The wildlife park is spread over 119 hectares and is the largest such facility in Dubai. It houses around 3,200 animals and birds. It closed its doors for public on Monday to undertake maintenance work and keep animals safe from the harsh summer heat.

The opening of the season will also welcome more than 290 newborns to the zoo population. “We are breeding animals here, and we have 290 newborns with us last season, which include cubs of zebra, hyenas, and giraffes. We are also looking for some more breedings and exchange animals with our partner globally and locally,” said Al Zarouni.

Last year, the park had four lion cubs.

Talking about the health of animals during summer, Al Zarouni said, “During this period, climate-controlled enclosures in the park will allow animals to live in comfortable environments close to their natural habitats. The suspension of the park’s activities will also enable it to upgrade facilities and services and conduct maintenance work to enhance the animals’ living areas.”

All the animals underwent regular health check-ups during the year and none of them was found to be infected by the Covid-19 strain, the director said. None of the animals suffered heat strokes during the last season or died prematurely.

The park was running at 30 per cent capacity during the year and received beyond 300,000 visitors. “The government has allowed to increase the capacity to 70 per cent, but we are closing. Hopefully we will open in September with more relaxations in place,” Al Zarouni said.

The park offers unique interactive programmes blended into the safari journey.

Of the more than 3,200 animals, 78 species are of mammals – 10 carnivores and 17 primates; 50 types of reptiles; 111 kinds of birds as well as amphibians and invertebrates.

These include rare animals like Komodo dragon, spiral-horned antelope, Arabian Oryx, coloured African wild dog, gorilla, gibbon, bongo, and lemur.

Spanning 119 hectares, the park comprises three main villages: the African Village, Asian Village and Explorer Village. Each village represents a different climate and ecosystem and houses distinctive species of animals.

It also includes an Arabian Desert Safari tour.

The Dubai Safari Park contributes to the conservation of endangered species with unique breeding programmes and rescue missions around the world.

It features over 200 different types of trees distributed in accordance with its different environments.

The park closed its doors for public on Monday with a celebration parade that enthralled its visitors.

Read more: https://bit.ly/3wUAHDv