Asian Elephants will soon arrive in Dubai 'Green' Safari...

Work on Dubai Safari Park is proceeding according to schedule, with the park already 75 per cent done and scheduled for completion by the end of 2016, according to Dubai Municipality.

A group of Asian elephants will be coming within the next few days with the park already bringing in animals such as lions, bears and bats. Currently, a team specializing in safari parks is coordinating with the various local authorities such as the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and Water and international animal organizations in order to communicate the transport and exchange of various animals which will be relocated to their new environments after all requirements and needs have been secured, it said in a statement.

Dubai Safari Park aspires to become one of the five best safari parks in the world over the next five years and is preparing its facilities to accommodate more than 10,000 visitors a day.

The Best Wildlife Center

The Safari Park, covering an area of 119 hectares in the Al-Warqa Fifth district, is built at an estimated cost of around Dh1 billion. The project aims to establish the best wildlife center in the region. The Municipality has been keen on pursuing excellence in the accomplishment of this project through advanced environmental by transforming the site from a construction waste landfill to a tourist attraction and a diverse wildlife environment which takes advantage of its diverse terrain which is incorporated as an essential element of the project design.

Harnessing Renewable Energy

In light of the park’s ideal location, efforts have been made to take advantage of renewable energy to generate electricity and operate the irrigation system as well as the automatic vehicles and other modes of transportation and leisure and entertainment facilities. The safari park is built over a former construction waste landfill which was leveled and reclaimed to provide a suitable site. The municipality formed technical committees specializing in selecting animals and distributing them in places mimicking their natural habitats and geographical distribution. The park was designed to be the best wildlife reserve in the world.

The project layout took into consideration the flexible movement of visitors, whether on foot or through the use of various environment-friendly means of transportation such as the tram, cable cars, bicycles, as well as electric vehicles that will carry people inside the park or from the facility’s 3,600 parking lots. The park’s public means of transportation have been completely separated from the service routes allocated for animals and workers.

Diverse Villages and Environments

The park was designed to allow for diverse environments suitable for different kinds of animals through the use of innovative methods for monitoring animals in the wild and taking care of them through the hands of specialized in-house veterinarians. Its landscape complements the uniquely featured parks and gardens spread across the emirate. The park, which rivals the best gardens in the world, includes several facilities and public services for attracting visitors from all over the world. It includes three villages – the Arab Village, the African Village and the Safari Village – and also has a wadi area. The resident animals have been distributed across the different villages, with movement from one village to another facilitated by sustainable means of transportation to ensure that visitors experience a distinguished and unique visit.

Each section of the park will be presented according to the special nature of the environment itself, with each village to be unique in terms of architectural design which will represent the featured region and the grouping of animals and plants that naturally live within the same environment. More than 200 different types of trees have been used which were distributed in accordance with the park’s various environments,  the distribution of animals, utilities, restaurants, sunshades, barns, and so on. The well-distributed construction and the diverse environments add pleasure and variety throughout each visitor’s journey which will feel like traveling to different parts of the world.

The Arab Village

The Arab Village covers an area of 13 hectares and is designed as an Arabian Safari that features the geographical distribution of the Arab region divided into three different environments: deserts, mountains, and plains. The various animals will be displayed according to their special natural environment. Visitors will move between the different animal habitats by train in order to carry the largest number of passengers at the same time.

The distinguishing feature of the Arab Village is the Bedouin Oasis at its center which introduces many traditional activities of the Bedouin environment. Many local Bedouin products will be showcased in addition to falconry, hunting dogs, horsemanship, and camel riding. There is also the farm area that will include typical farm fare such as barns and stables with domesticated animals such as horses, sheep, goats, chicken, and cows.

Children of different ages wil be allowed to engage in various activities such as feeding, milking and riding animals and collecting eggs. Moreover, a shaded open area will serve as the venue for various presentations to allow children to interact with the animals in their own environment for educational purposes.

The African Village

The African Village spreads over 11.5 hectares. Its African-themed building are designed to make visitors feel as if they were in the heart of Africa with its fabulous nature and radiant colors. The village is divided into two main areas: the African savannah and the rainforest where animals and plants are distributed accordingly. The savannah portion contains fewer trees. There is also a main plaza which includes all the facilities and restaurants of the village.

The village includes 20 displays of several animals, in addition to a reptile building that includes species from the African continent. Like the other villages, shaded and air-conditioned roads have been built here between the various animal displays to enable the visitors to enjoy seeing the animals in summer. Different entertaining presentations will be held at the main plaza showcasing African culture.

Open Safari Area

The special Open Safari Area stretches across 22 hectares and provides a wide space for visitors to view diverse animals via air-conditioned Jeep vehicles which will take them on an hour-long tour. Visitors will come in close contact with different animals to personally experience wildlife and observe the behavior of animals in the park which features the first open safari in the Middle East. The village also allows guests to ride an Asian elephant and try different attractions such as the Open Theater that can seat 600 spectators. Special presentations of varied reptiles and birds can be performed at the theater. Visitors can also feed giraffes and elephants and stop by the hippopotamus building.

Wadi Area

The wadi area is an amusement and recreation ground containing an area of water 2 kms long providing a rich habitat for various birds and small animals which the visitors will enjoy seeing from the comfort of restaurants, cafeterias, and relaxation areas spread alongside the water passage and the fish pool. The area includes a number of special playgrounds for children and young men of various age. Skiing grounds are also available, in addition to areas for hanging adventure games which will allow the visitors to see the park from above. The restaurant located at the top of the wadi area is one of the park’s main attractions, providing a bird’s eye view of the falls area as well as the wadi and its various activities.

Dubai Safari Park will replace Dubai Zoo which is currently located in the Jumeirah area. All of the existing 1,000 animals and birds will be taken from the current zoo to the site of the new project, where they will be housed in new temperature-controlled cages, the Municipality said.

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