Recently opened Al Hefaiya Mountain Conservation Center is a new jewel added by Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA) to sustainable tourism projects in Sharjah. It was inaugurated on 6th March 2016 by H.H. Dr. Sultan Bin Muhammad AlQuasimi, Ruler of Sharjah.

Al Hefaiya Mountain Conservation Center, Kalba

This beautiful conservation center is located in Kalba at the base of Hajar Mountain range, the drive to the center from Dubai through wadi Helo was scenic too (click here to watch)!
This is first of its kind conservation center for local wildlife some of which are listed on the International Union of conservation of nature (ICUN) red list of endangered species. The Al Hefaiya center, these conservation efforts are taken
1. Habitat preservation & restoration
2. Captive breeding & research
3. Rehabilitation of these endangered species.

So you get to see the animals at the center living in their natural habitat not in an artificially created environment in captivity like zoos. The best part is the center is built around a small hill and separate portions of the slope are assigned to big animals like Arabian leopard, Arabian wolf etc.
Visitors can take a ride in an electric buggy around the hill and can have a look at animals. There is outdoor viewing for good weather and during summer you can just enter the building see all the animals from indoor viewing facility.

Walking in an outdoor viewing facility

The structure of the center is very innovative and open with the use of a lot of daylight. The audio stations give you a complete experience of being close to the animals. In those designated audio sections, you can hear the sound of animals in real time and see the same animal through the glass walls. The seating provided are natural huge rocks. I haven’t seen a more sustainable wildlife conservation center in UAE than this!

The wildlife display contains Insects, Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, Reptiles, and fish. Around 30 species of animals are kept and bred over 12 sq meters of center.

UAE’s Endangered Wild Life

It was a fascinating experience to see and observe the wildlife first hand,  once wondered freely in this land and now almost not known like the critically endangered Arabian leopard, endangered Arabian Tahr and near threatened striped hyena.

There was another local wildlife which is under least concerned list of ICUN but was very interesting. Caracal Cat, which is fierce and territorial. While I was taking photos, it was staring at my son and started walking toward him on the other side of the fence. The body language and looks in its eyes were very uncomfortable for us as parents, my son felt shy and later got little scared too. Later I learned the facts that it can jump higher than 3 meters and kills bird mid-air! Isn’t quite thrilling?

Imagine this animal walking towards your child!