50 Houbara released into the wild

The International Fund for Houbara Conservation, IFHC, has marked the launch of a strategic partnership with the Zayed Higher Organisation for Humanitarian Care and Special Needs, ZHO, with the release of 50 Houbara in the Al Ain desert.

The release, the latest effort in the IFHC’s Proactive Intervention Conservation Model to secure a sustainable future for the vulnerable bustard, a mainstay of UAE wildlife, took place at the Telal Resort in Al Ain. At the release, ZHO athletes competing in the UAE Special Olympics team joined senior figures from IFHC and ZHO to help introduce the 50 captive-bred birds into the wild.

The event signalled the beginning of an IFHC-ZHO partnership that will see the fund’s education programme, which engages school students on the importance of conserving and protecting the Houbara – rolled out across ZHO’s 18 centres in the UAE.

ZHO provides a range of services and humanitarian care for 1,650 people of determination (persons with disabilities), including education and vocational training to ensure inclusion into the community.

“Bird releases are always poignant and rewarding occasions which embody the Fund’s efforts to conserve and protect the Houbara, while positively impacting the country’s wildlife and environmental heritage – this event, however, carries extra significance,” explained Majid Ali Al Mansouri, IFHC’s Managing Director.

“As part of our ongoing partnership with ZHO, this landmark release event has allowed us to engage a new audience and potentially mould even more future conservationists. By giving students a rare opportunity to witness live Houbara in their natural habitat, we are heightening understanding of the importance of conserving this national emblematic species. The more we can drive education, the brighter the future for the Houbara,” he explained.

The IFHC Managing Director added, “We were also able to offer our support for ZHO athletes competing in the UAE Special Olympics team. As Abu Dhabi readies to host the 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games next month, we look forward to the UAE team and its ZHO athletes serving the country with distinction. Moving forward, this flourishing partnership will benefit the Fund, the students and ultimately the Houbara.”

Under the IFHC-ZHO partnership, the National Houbara Model programme, in cooperation with the UAE Ministry of Education and Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge, will be adapted by ZHO to provide the necessary tools for visually and hearing impaired students to maximise their learning.

“The work of the IFHC in protecting this national species is commendable and we thank them for enabling us to be part of this event, a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our students,” said Abdullah Al Humaidan, Secretary-General of ZHO. “This agreement facilitates real inclusion into the community for our students, something which I know they, their parents and us as an organisation all cherish. This is a chance for our students to really contribute and make a difference while learning more about the country’s environmental heritage.”

The IFHC is a global leader in proactive species conservation, overseeing one of the world’s largest multi-region conservation projects to increase wild populations of the Houbara species in its natural habitats.