The United Arab Emirates Releases 169 Gazelles into the Wild
12/14/97
*******************************
RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Headline: The United Arab Emirates Releases 169 Gazelles into the Wild
Source: Agence France-Presse
Date: 12/14/97
Copyright 1997 by Agence France-Presse
ABU DHABI, Dec 14 (AFP) - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has
released 169 Arabian gazelles from captivity as part of an ambitious
breeding programme, a newspaper reported on Sunday.
The animals were released over a period of a week in late
November from Sir Bani Yas island, a previously desolate wasteland
which has been turned into a wildlife reserve, Al-Khaleej said.
The gazelles were shipped to the UAE's western region, among the
most fertile areas in the oil-rich Gulf country, the paper said.
It was the third operation of its kind in as many years, with
more than 300 Arabian gazelles bred on Sir Bani Yas and released in
1994 and 1996.
"The operation is aimed at increasing the number of these
animals and the presence of large forests in the western region
helps this programme," said Murshid Ali Murshid, one of the project
supervisors.
The latest batch includes 130 female gazelles and their breeding
in the wild will be monitored by wildlife experts in that area,
where hunting is banned.
President Sheikh Zayed ibn Sultan al-Nahayan is financing the
Sir Bani Yas reserve, home to tens of thousands of animals and
birds, including several endangered species. He also funds other
reserves on the mainland.
The UAE started major animal breeding programmes in the 1970s
after excessive hunting caused serious damage to wildlife. The
situation was worsened by development projects launched after the
discovery of oil.