Picture your favourite zoo, the one where the giraffes act like they own the place, packing up its best research and heading to the biggest conservation meeting on the planet. That is what Al Ain Zoo did when the IUCN World Conservation Congress came to Abu Dhabi from 9 to 15 October 2025. The congress happens once every four years and brings together scientists, policymakers and conservation groups from around the world to agree on what happens next for nature.
What the zoo brought to the table
Al Ain Zoo ran sessions and hands-on workshops covering updates on the dama gazelle conservation strategy for 2019 to 2028, the treatment and management of threatened species and the evolution of its African elephant programme, with a candid look at keeping elephants healthy and socially enriched in human care.
Small desert cats, serious science
The Arabian sand cat is tiny, elusive and very easy to love. Al Ain Zoo runs what it describes as the world’s largest specialised centre for the species, leading breeding, research and rewilding work that started long before conservation became an Instagram talking point.
From local know-how to global action
The zoo’s team swapped case studies with international peers and focused on strategies for desert specialists like the dama gazelle and the sand cat, showing how expertise built in Al Ain can feed straight into protecting habitats elsewhere. Eng. Ahmed Eisa Al Harrasi, Acting Director General of the Zoo & Aquarium Public Institution in Al Ain, described conservation as part of the zoo’s DNA and said taking that work to the IUCN stage was about sharing, learning and inspiring collective action.
Why this matters
Conservation rarely makes headlines. It is breeding plans, fieldwork, vet interventions, habitat restoration and education, and it is detailed, slow work. When a zoo presents a working species recovery plan or an elephant welfare blueprint, other institutions get tools they can use straight away. The congress turns those local wins into templates for everyone else.
What it means for your next visit
Behind the giraffe feeding and the train ride sits long-term breeding and genetics work, community outreach that turns kids into conservationists and facilities designed around animal welfare. The IUCN appearance came weeks after the zoo joined the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, so 2025 was a big year for its global profile.
WOW Abu Dhabi Expert Tip: Head for the Sheikh Zayed Desert Learning Centre, included with zoo entry, before you tackle the animal trails. It gives kids the backstory on desert species like the sand cat and dama gazelle, so the enclosures mean a lot more when you get to them.
Al Ain Zoo – southern Al Ain, on the way to Jebel Hafeet. Contact: 800 966 (in the UAE) or +971 3 799 2000, alainzoo.com. For the latest seasonal events, see our Al Ain Zoo guide.
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