My trip to the Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre!
The animals of the UAE are diverse and plentiful, but occasionally there is a group of animals that are not so plentiful and end up needing help to keep going. So with that in mind today we are going to visit the Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre (HMCC). The HMCC is located on the E102 road in an area called Kalba in Sharjah just before it merges into E99, and it is dedicated to helping save endangered species and help spread awareness among the youth. If you have ever visited the place you know that it isn't extremely big and it takes on a typical "zoo display" fashion, but the HMCC makes it clear on their website and in the center itself that they only showcase the animals for educational purposes.
When we went it was just nearing closing time for the HMCC so as a result a lot of the animals were sleeping and the center itself was pretty empty. Thankfully we managed to get a good look at almost everything that was being shown and we had a pretty good time. When we first reached the roundabout that is positioned right at the entrance to the center we were immediately taken by how much smaller and modest it was than what we were expecting. Although the land for the animals was pretty large, the building with all the exhibitions was not quite as big. Upon driving through the gates and parking our car we were met almost immediately with an outdoor spyglass for looking at the homes of the Arabian Rock Hyrax, which we discovered was basically an Arabian version of the mole rat. Another interesting fact about the little guys is that they are the closest relatives to elephants.
After spending half an hour trying to catch a good look of the extremely fast Hyraxes we moved on to enter the main building where we were once again immediately met with another animal observation area (and a reception desk to the right). The animals that we were looking at were the wolves, and as I mentioned earlier they, like most of the animals, were asleep. After looking at the pups we were directed down a hallway with informational panels, display pieces, and stuff for kids on the left, while on the right there were two huge living areas for hyenas and leopards. At that time the leopards had been taken in for feeding so I was unable to get any pictures of them.
At the end of that hallway there was a door that took us into the nocturnal section which I would say was my favorite. This area definitely had the most different animal showcases, from lizards and snakes to wild cats and hedgehogs. Another plus side of this area was that many of the animals were beginning to arise from sleep and so it was a lot more engaging than staring at a snoozing pupper.
After exiting the dark corridors of the nocturnal section we passed by an owl showcase which was really creepy because there were like eight of them and they were just slowly turning their heads to follow us as we moved. There was also a very large area filled with deer and three different sized bikes that would measure how fast you were compared to other animals (my sis didn't even make it to human, which was funny).
After escaping the prying eyes of all those owls we found ourselves at the exit, which took us right out into the golf cart parking area, where drivers and tour guides were primed and ready to take us around the center's outdoor exhibits. After being given the ok we boarded a golf cart and began our quick trip around the area. Now I have to say although I enjoyed the nice ride with the cool weather, and the idea of taking a tour like that is really cool, I was not extremely impressed by this part. The golf cart took us around to see the outdoor part of the leopards' living area, which like I said earlier was pretty pointless because they were inside eating. There was a lookout tower next to it, which was cool to climb up and survey the area from, but other than looking at the mountainous scenery there wasn't much else to look at. The third place that we were taken by was the caracal living space which I would say was the best part of the tour because the caracals were actually out and about so there was actually something to look at and talk about.
So after our tour was complete we were driven back to our car and sent on our way. All in all I enjoyed our visit to the HMCC, and although it is small, it has been very well made and well organized. I thought I would mention just before we part that it is also under the jurisdiction of the Environment and Protected Areas Authority of the UAE, which is definitely a good thing because that means that it has a plethora of assets and aids to help it grow and keep these precious animals safe. Welp, that does it for me, hope y'all enjoyed and be sure to pop in for my next post!