Emirates Park Zoo

Emirates Park Zoo is a great day out for the family.  We were invited along for the day by our friends, Brad & Diana, who were entertaining little Kenny over the Christmas break.  My two boys had been at home all week while I prepared for (and then cleaned up after) Christmas for 40 people, so I figured they deserved a day out too.

We were expecting Brad & Di to swing by our house around 9am so that we could follow them in the car.  I haven’t driven to Abu Dhabi before and prefer to have someone to follow when I’m driving to new places.  As it turns out young Kenny slept late again and it was closer to 10am before we left.  It’s about an hours’ drive from where we are so I settled my boys in with some lunch – leftover turkey rolls, of course! – and off we go.

On the approach, we first thought the zoo was a giant, decorated mosque or fort.  It’s huge although we found out later that an attached hotel accounts for some of the structure.

From the map it appears that all the big guns are here – elephants, tigers, giraffes, cheetah as well as some more unusual animals like armadillo, owls and capyburas (think fire swamp attacks).  We don’t have a plan and launch in, starting with the reptile house, snakes are always a favorite of the children.

There are some small Nile crocodiles but a highlight is the different types of iguanas.  The blue one is just stunning but the red and green are no less striking and they’re a lot bigger and closer than I might be comfortable with if the glass wasn’t in place.  They’re clearly unconcerned with our presence.

Their habitats aren’t very large but all the animals are quite active.  Several of the iguanas are on the move and it looks like the tortoises have just been given lunch as numerous tortoise of varying sizes in different enclosures are sitting on piles of lettuce munching away.

Next we head outside.  It’s a cool day by Arabian standards and perfect for wandering around outside in the sun.  All the animals are hungry and grass is on sale of AED10 per bunch.  We get lots of attention and they’re happy to be petted, as long as their lunch keeps coming.  The boys are are excited and love feeding the animals.  We also wander past some lambs being given milk (also AED10/bottle).  There are emus and ostriches interested in the feeding but they’re not happy with the grass we offer.  I’m sure there’s something else on offer that they prefer but we keep going.

Hyenas are a highlight with a baby playing in the foreground before we make our way through snake alley with some formidable looking pythons including an albino.  I think I’ll give their hugs a miss.

Next we come to the flaming park and we find a cafe to sit for a bit.  The children have a drink and Kenny eats his lunch while my boys run around, entertaining him so that he giggles away at them.  Then we spot the bear.

He’s talking a stroll and comes over to have a look, inquisitive and so, so furry.  He looks friendly enough that you could give him a big hug and I can see instantly where the term ‘bear hug’ comes from.  Those claws look pretty sharp though and although he comes right up to the bars, I wait till he’s a distance away before I come closer to snap a picture.

Here are the graceful pink flamingos.  They’re beautiful birds and all foraging for food as we walk past.  Popcorn is for sale as we have our tea and Brad buys some and takes the boys over to feed the various birds – it turns out ducks and ibis quite like popcorn – flamingos not so much.

After our refreshing stop we hit the big guns – the wildlife walk.  Here are all the big ones – elephants, lions, tigers, leopards and cheetahs as well as Arabian oryx and gazelle.  The two cheetahs are named Jasper and Shazley and Jasper is excited by their story.  They are rescue animals, rescued from a litter stolen from their mother and caught as they were being smuggled across the boarder.  Two of the four died and Jasper and Shazley were nursed back from malnutrition and poor health by the zoo keepers.  Apparently Jasper lived with one of the zoo keeps and his pet dog when he was very tiny and has grown to be very affectionate.  My Jasper speculates who might be able to run faster….

The lions are sleeping (they sleep up to 20 hours a day) but the white tiger is lazing close to the spectators and giving us quite a show, stretching out, having a wash and rolling over.  Definitely my favorite.  He’s a spectacular creature with huge paws and again, he looks so cuddly, except for the teeth!

Kenny has had enough now and Brad & Di say their goodbyes to head home.  My boys are a bit tired too but they want to keep going so we wander back to the monkeys and petting zoo.  Here there are many more species to visit.

Harley loves the donkeys and although there are signs up warning that some of the animals may bite, they all seem happy enough for a pat and are looking for food.  The place has filled up somewhat and there are now a lot of people here, many carrying bunches of grass and the donkeys, giraffes, camels and zebra know it.

The boys pick up bits of dropped grass from all over the place and run around feeding whatever they can, snatching pats in between.  The spider monkeys put on quite a show and I offer to find a cage for my boys to stay….

By now it’s 3pm and we’re ready for a little rest.  The Sea Lion Theater opens up and we take a seat, hoping for a show.  We wait for half an hour as it’s slightly delayed due to prayer time.  The show is a magic show rather than the sea lions but the boys enjoy it and it’s a good interlude.  After this we check out the birds of prey.  The falcons, owls and vultures all watching the world go by.  We chat to a keeper who says that most are rescue birds.  They are let out each day to fly and feed and then return to their perches.  One of the falcons makes a noise, talking to the keeper, asking for food.  Apparently one day she flew off, taking a 10km journey to one of the Abu Dhabi malls, tracked by the keepers on foot as she went.  When they approached her at the mall she flew straight to them, happy to be taken home after her little adventure.

Now we’re done.  It’s after 4pm and time to get going.  It’s still an hour drive home and I’m exhausted, even if the boys protest to keep going.  I hope that they’ll have a snooze in the car but they’re still giggling as we approach home.  After a bath and some dinner, none of us are far out of bed though.  I’m channeling the lions tonight even though a 20 hour stretch is optimistic.

Would I Return?

Yes.  The setting isn’t as spectacular as the likes of Taronga Zoo or Sinapore Zoo but the interaction with the animals is fantastic and there’s plenty to keep children (of all ages) entertained.