Meet Al Ain Zoo's oldest residents: a vulture aged 47 and Laila the chimp, 36


Nick Webster
  • English
  • Arabic

In 1986, a young orphaned chimpanzee named Laila was given a new home at Al Ain Zoo and 36 years on, the geriatric ape is still going strong.

While the Soviet Union was coming to terms with the worst nuclear disaster in history at Chernobyl and Diego Maradona was lifting the World Cup in Mexico City for Argentina — baby Laila was getting to know her new surroundings and munching on fruit and leaves.

Chimps typically live for between 15 and 20 years in the wild, largely because of predators and environmental factors such as habitat destruction.

From animal facial recognition to DNA analysis, physical and behavioural rehabilitation, it all contributes to improving the quality of life of animals and adds to our ability to preserve wildlife
Ghanim Al Hajeri,
zoo director general

Now a grand old lady of Al Ain Zoo, Laila is one of the attraction’s best-loved residents and has far outlived her expected age in the wild, but she is not the oldest.

A 47-year-old lappet-faced vulture with creaking bones takes that title.

The craggy old bird was brought to the zoo in 1975, a year marked by the end of the Vietnam War, the arrival of VHS tapes and when a barrel of oil cost $12.

The zoo’s two elders are not the only residents to live well beyond their expected lifespan and benefit from scientific research.

Mugger crocodiles would typically live to about 28 in their natural habitats of the freshwater lakes and rivers of southern Asia.

But the mugger croc bathing in the waters of Al Ain zoo recently reached the ripe old age of 34.

Rhinos at Al Ain Zoo. Photo: Al Ain Zoo
Rhinos at Al Ain Zoo. Photo: Al Ain Zoo

How technology is improving the lives of animals

In the time all three animals have lived at the zoo, technology has accelerated at express pace and is now used widely to protect wildlife inside and outside Al Ain.

“We are living in the age of technology, and we must utilise it to the maximum in our work,” said Ghanim Al Hajeri, the zoo’s director general.

“The technologies we adopt have saved a tremendous amount of both effort and time and over the years have provided highly accurate results in monitoring and tracking animals.

“By studying their behavioural patterns and keeping an eye on their health, and keeping up with many other technologies, which in turn have supported our mission in protecting endangered species.”

The zoo has nurtured its rich variety of more than 4,000 animals by using the latest technology.

It has helped the process registration of animals, their monitoring, genetic studies, veterinary care and the behavioural rehabilitation of abused animals brought into the zoo.

It also uses ZIMS zoo aquarium animal management software, considered the global benchmark for data collecting and sharing on animals and their environments, for zoos, aquaria and related organisations to serve and accomplish conservation goals.

Meanwhile, genetic conserving programmes have been developed over the years to maintain the genetic integrity of the zoo’s animals.

They can help ensure the preservation and sustainability of species, with the possibility of releasing some healthy offspring back into the wild to help repopulation.

“Our technology-based strategies extend to all areas of wildlife in our care,” Mr Al Hajeri said.

“From animal facial recognition to DNA analysis, physical and behavioural rehabilitation, and the collection of data to share with specialised global agencies to join forces in our quest for wildlife preservation, down to the most basic animal calming techniques that, with the use of modern technology, become more efficient and safer.

“It all contributes to improving the quality of life of animals and adds to our ability to preserve wildlife.”

Key fixtures from January 5-7

Watford v Bristol City

Liverpool v Everton

Brighton v Crystal Palace

Bournemouth v AFC Fylde or Wigan

Coventry v Stoke City

Nottingham Forest v Arsenal

Manchester United v Derby

Forest Green or Exeter v West Brom

Tottenham v AFC Wimbledon

Fleetwood or Hereford v Leicester City

Manchester City v Burnley

Shrewsbury v West Ham United

Wolves v Swansea City

Newcastle United v Luton Town

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Norwich City v Chelsea

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ACL Elite (West) - fixtures

Monday, Sept 30

Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)

Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)

Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions

There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.

1 Going Dark

A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.

2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers

A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.

3. Fake Destinations

Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.

4. Rebranded Barrels

Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.

* Bloomberg

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

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The biog

Favourite colour: Brown

Favourite Movie: Resident Evil

Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices

Favourite food: Pizza

Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon

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Winner: Solar Shower; William Lee (jockey); Helal Al Alawi (trainer)

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Winner: Thaaqib; Antonio Fresu; Erwan Charpy.

5.10pm: Maiden; Dh165,000 (Turf); 1,800m
Winner: Bila Shak; Adrie de Vries; Fawzi Nass

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Updated: September 08, 2022, 8:48 AM`