Dubai Municipality announces seasonal closing of Dubai Safari Park on 31 May

- Park to reopen for visitors in September 2021 with new offerings
- Closure allows the Park to protect animals from health risks due to the high summer temperatures
- Park to further upgrade facilities and services to enhance visitor experience

Government of Dubai Media Office – 26 May 2021: Dubai Municipality announced that the Dubai Safari Park, one of Dubai’s leading leisure destinations, will close its doors for the season ending 31 May, 2021. The closure will allow the Park to protect its animals from any health risks due to the high summer temperatures and upgrade its facilities to further enhance the visitor experience. Visitors will be welcomed back for the new season in September 2021.

With the mercury set to rise in the next few months, the temporary closure of the facility is primarily aimed at preventing the summer heat from affecting the health of animals, as part of the Park’s animal welfare practices. During this period, climate-controlled enclosures in the Park will allow animals to live in comfortable environments close to their natural habitats. The suspension of the Park’s activities will also enable it to upgrade facilities and services and conduct maintenance work to enhance the animals’ living areas.

Ahmad Al Zarouni, Director, Public Parks and Recreational Facilities at Dubai Municipality said visitors to Dubai Safari Park will be able to enjoy various entertainment activities and live musical shows before the seasonal closing. The current season saw a remarkable visitor turnout in Dubai Safari Park, he noted. Strict precautionary and preventive measures applied across the park ensured a safe environment for visitors.

The Park offers unique interactive programmes blended into the safari journey that provide visitors a unique and memorable experience. Not only can visitors see different species of animals from across the world, they can also enjoy activities, performances and shows that entertain as well as educate such as the ‘Birds of Prey Show’ and ‘Amazing Creatures of the World Show’.

Al Zarouni further said the Park is home to around 3,000 animals, including 78 species of mammals – 10 different carnivores and 17 primates –; 50 types of reptiles; 111 kinds of birds as well as amphibians and invertebrates. These include rare animals like Komodo dragon, spiral-horned antelope, Arabian Oryx, coloured African wild dog, gorilla, gibbon, bongo, and lemur.

Spanning 119 hectares of immaculately landscaped spaces that provide hospitable animal habitats, the Park comprises three main villages, the African Village, Asian Village and Explorer Village and also includes an Arabian Desert Safari tour. Each village in the Safari Park represents a different climate and ecosystem and houses distinctive species of animals.

The Park has been designed to ensure visitors can move around easily whether on foot or by using eco-friendly transport means available inside the park, such as buses, trams or electrical powered cars. The Park also offers a wide range of facilities designed to provide a high-quality visitor experience.

Dubai Safari Park offers a wide range of animal welfare and conservation strategies to provide a better life for the animals, apart from hosting educational and research projects that support the goal of establishing the Park. The Park contributes to the conservation of endangered species with unique breeding programmes and rescue missions around the world.

Veterinary and animal care units of the Dubai Safari Park’s dedicated Life and Science teams provide animals with the best care in line with global animal welfare standards. The Park’s full-fledged enrichment team supports its Animal Care unit in taking care of the animals’ welfare and training. Dubai Safari also follows internationally benchmarked protocols for protected animal contact to ensure the safety of the animals and staff.

The Park’s distinctive design enables visitors to be transported to the natural habitats where animals live. Each village is unique in its architectural style and reflects the region it represents. More than 200 different types of trees have been used in the park and distributed in accordance with the Park’s various environments.