San Diego Zoo teams up with Abu Dhabi for wildlife park

The San Diego Zoo has entered into an agreement to help the government of Abu Dhabi create a 2,000-acre wildlife park, to be called Dowh Al Ain.

The project is expected to take more than a decade. The goal, according to a joint statement, is to allow visitors to the Persian Gulf nation, part of the United Arab Emirates, to get close to species native to the African, Arabian and Asian deserts.

The zoo and the emirate have been partners on other projects, including the reintroduction of the scimitar-horned oryx, like those pictured here, to Northern Africa.

The wildlife park is an expansion of the Al Ain Zoo and is set to include a five-star resort and a family hotel. In the making for months, the agreement became official Monday at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi.

-- Tony Perry

Photo: San Diego Zoo