Foundation
Owners of Dubai’s new Dh1 billion safari park, Dubai Safari, have promised to ‘look after their animals’. Timothy Husband, Technical Director of Dubai Safari, has reportedly said that the attraction will not exploit its animals in circus-style performances or public interactions; stating that “they will be behaving naturally”.
The Born Free Foundation has welcomed Mr. Husband’s reassurances, but will remain vigilant to the new zoos’ activities. Born Free has recently expressed concern to the UAE authorities over the reports that hundreds of wild animals have been imported into Dubai from Africa and Asia to stock the new zoo. Daniel Turner, a spokesperson for Born Free, who visited Dubai earlier this year, said, “We have asked the Ministry of Environment to take a cautious approach when approving the requests for animal imports for Dubai Safari and further, urged the relocation and rehoming of all the animals from Dubai’s City Zoo to Dubai Safari.” Born Free has campaigned for years for the improvement or closure of Dubai’s City Zoo, where the majority of animals are kept in appalling conditions. Turner continues, “Whilst these animals’ release into the wild is not possible, at least the animals of Dubai City Zoo should have better living conditions in Dubai’s new zoo”