Over 5,000 Houbara fly into Abu Dhabi for conservation project
The International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC) transferred 5,270 Asian Houbara bustards from Morocco to Abu Dhabi in a major conservation operation.
The birds will form the breeding flock at the new Sheikh Khalifa Houbara Breeding Centre at Saih Al Salam. As a result of the transfer, the number of Houbara for breeding and release into the wild will almost double once the centre is fully operational.
It also represents a significant step forward in IFHC’s global programme for conserving the endangered Houbara bustard.
The birds will form the breeding flock at the new Sheikh Khalifa Houbara Breeding Centre at Saih Al Salam
“This transfer is an important milestone in the UAE’s journey to conserve the endangered Houbara bustard. It will go a long way to meeting the strategy of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and enable future generations to enjoy a bird so important to our local culture,” said Mohammed Ahmed Al Bowardi, Deputy Chairman of IFHC.
The transfer is the culmination of many years of planning as IFHC expands a programme which already represents one of the world’s major conservation projects. The flock of Asian Houbara had been bred over a number of years at the Emirates Centre for Wildlife Propagation (ECWP) in Morocco.
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