The opening date of $272 million (AED1 billion) Dubai Safari Park has been pushed back as the municipality adheres to an “animal protocol”, Dubai Municipality director general told Arabian Business.
The safari, which covers an area of 119 hectares in the Al-Warqa Fifth district, was scheduled to open last year, but a confirmed date of opening has yet to be announced. It will be home to 1,000 animal species, of which over 350 will be rare and endangered.
“We should be ready in the next three months, with the opening taking place this year. We have been bringing the animal but there is an ‘animal protocol’ that we need to follow,” Hussain Nasser Lootah said.
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“You bring them blindfolded and so they don’t see the new area. They are released slowly so they get use to the new environment,” he said.
The safari, which replaces the existing zoo in Jumeirah, has been constructed on a former construction waste landfill that was levelled and reclaimed to provide a suitable site. Technical committees were formed in selecting animals and distributing them in places resembling their natural habitats and geographical distribution.
“This whole project once completed will indeed put Dubai on the map for those who will expect only the best from a zoo or safari park. The knowledge and ethical care for the animals will soon have Dubai Safari recognised as a world leader,” the civic body has said.
In October, Arabian Business reported that the civic body is currently generating 200 kilowatt per day of solar power to run six irrigation pumps for the whole park. Besides, the park will is recycling irrigation water into sweet water.
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