. Leopards had been present in the area of
Jebel Hafeet in the 20th century. In 1968
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late
Ruler of Abu Dhabi and
President of the United Arab Emirates joined efforts and decided on founding a national zoo. This decision was born out of their genuine concern of the
land's wildlife. In 1969 it was established by Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and in 1972 it opened to the public. Among the species they wanted to protect were
ungulates such as the
Arabian oryx. Today, the zoo hosts over 4,000 animals, some of them extinct in the wild, some endangered. It features a
big cat house containing
lions,
mountain lions,
jaguars,
black panthers,
leopards, and
cheetahs. In addition, it has a
reptile house,
monkey compounds, an aquarium, and an
aviary. From February 2010 until July 2010, the Al Ain Zoo hosted the "Dinosaur Trail," a small section that includes around 15 to 20 mechanical dinosaurs with sensors, such as
Tyrannosaurus rex. It included information about each dinosaur, living habits, natural habitat and basic features. In April 2019 the zoo began its expansion program in order to build new compounds' areas and sites, such as the conservation and breeding centres, African Safari, World Desert Zoo, and the Sheikh Zayed Desert Learning Centre. In March 2022, as the zoo intended to import wild African elephants from
Namibia, the
World Association of Zoos and Aquariums published its thoughts on the matter. They stated that according to their Code of Ethics it is essential from time to time to make such actions. This is needed in light of global efforts of conservation breeding programs, education programs, or basic biological studies. Having said that, they continued their statement that concluded that the zoo's intention to import African elephants does not meet WAZA's Code of Ethics. The outcome of that statement was the decision to terminate Al Ain Zoo membership in WAZA until further notice. Following that event and statement, on September 15, 2022, the
European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) also announced the termination of the membership of Al Ain Zoo in the United Arab Emirates. The zoo’s membership ended on December 31, 2022, following the decision of the EAZA Council that EAZA can no longer reasonably be expected to allow the institution to remain a member. The decision comes after careful examination of evidence related to importing wild-caught African elephants from Namibia, which the Council agreed constituted multiple breaches of EAZA Codes and Standards. ==Gallery==