Qatar breeding centre receives 1,065 Asian Houbara

According to a statement issued by the IFHC, the Rawdat Al Faras Houbara Breeding Centre received the birds in order to establish a full breeding flock
in Qatar.

“The provision of the birds to another country for captive breeding represents a considerable expansion of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan’s strategy to ensure that there are sustainable, wild populations of the iconic bird across its entire range.”

Mohamed al-Bowardi, deputy chairman of the IFHC Board, said: “This is a ground-breaking move in the history of Houbara conservation. The leadership and commitment of Sheikh Khalifa ensures that Abu Dhabi continues to build upon over 30 years of experience and expertise, which enables us lead the way in this important endeavour. We have a duty to ensure future generations can continue to experience the Houbara in the wild, while also preserving our cultural values, and the Abu Dhabi holistic model for conservation is proving to be the most effective approach to achieving these objectives. International co-operation is a vital component of Abu Dhabi’s strategy for the Houbara and we are very happy to share our knowledge with partners. I want to express my thanks to the government and people of Qatar in helping us spread the effort to conserve the Houbara.”

The 1,065 Asian Houbara provided to Qatar are in addition to an initial 334 provided in March 2013. As a result, the 1,399 birds will form a significant initial breeding flock, from which to produce Houbara chicks for future breeding and release. As well as providing live Houbara, Abu Dhabi has also offered its expertise, in areas such as breeding protocols and building specifications, to all countries in the Houbara range states to support the expansion of the programme initiated by the Emirate in the 1970s.

The  move to supply Houbara for breeding in Qatar follows last year’s move by the IFHC to give 1,000 Asian Houbara to the same country for release into protected zones. In 2013, captive-bred birds were provided to Kuwait and Yemen in a co-ordinated attempt at restoring resident, wild populations of Houbara across the Arabian Peninsula, which were in historical decline as a result of poaching, unregulated hunting and habitat degradation.

Established in 2006, the IFHC includes National Avian Research Centre (Sweihan), Abu Dhabi; Emirates Centre for Wildlife Propagation, Morocco; Sheikh Khalifa Houbara Breeding Centre, Kazakhstan; and Sheikh Khalifa Houbara Breeding Centre, Abu Dhabi.