eNewsletter July 2010
In this issue
Sunmmertime Fun on Sir Bani Yas Island
Life on Desert Islands continues to amaze visitors and resident conservation staff, with the new Ostrich chicks already causing a stir, and getting a good view of Sir Bani Yas’s giraffes is no longer a tall order thanks to a new viewing platform for visitors. This month we also hear about how our Cheetah cubs start to improve their hunting skills, and talk to the first ever intern from Desert Islands Education Centre to join the internship programme on Sir Bani Yas Island.
Behind the Five Star Experience, Conservation is Paramount
Behind every unique tourism experience on Sir Bani Yas Island lies a strong vision, decades of conservation efforts and hard work to protect and enhance the island.
The Desert Islands conservation team is a special breed of people, specially chosen for their skills and devotion to conserving the natural environment by going above and beyond the usual call of duty.
Behind every guided drive for guests through the Arabian Wildlife Park, there is a tireless conservation team working hard to protect vulnerable animals. Behind every kayaking trip there is a team of people planting a mangrove seedling to help protect the island for further generations.
Animals always come first on the Island, so there is a safe driving policy which all drivers on the island strictly follow to ensure the safety of the animals. This also includes strict adherence to the speed limits which are not higher than the running speed of the slowest gazelle.
Desert Islands staff are keen to promote responsible tourism practices to all the Islands’ visitors to respect and protect the environment. Preventing littering of any sort is a basic priority and staff can often be seen going the extra mile to stop their vehicles, walk into the sea or across the land to pick up rubbish if they spot it, but most importantly they take time to inform visitors in the devastating effects that littering can have on the environment and wildlife.
This special team continues to make a positive difference to Desert Islands, and their belief and commitment to promoting sustainable tourism practices in such a delicate natural environment sets a standard on a local, regional and international scale.
This belief is illustrated in the new Desert Islands brand campaign. Look out for it online, radio and in print over the summer period.
Our first intern to join the team on Sir Bani Yas Island
Sheikah Al Ali studied English level 4 and English level 5 courses, the City & Guilds course, the ICDL and the Travel & Tourism course at the Desert Islands Education Centre on Dalma Island.
“The Desert Islands Education Centre is excellent because you can take different courses that will help you to improve yourself at work in a short period of time, which is fantastic for the people on Dalma Island who are unable to go and study elsewhere.” Sheikah said
Sheikah joined the Desert Islands team as a marketing intern a month ago and since then has been kept busy with a range of activities, including photography, event management, greeting guests and media, mapping signs, writing copy for the website and translating for guests.
“I have enjoyed everything I have tried as the marketing & communications intern,” she says. “I love working outside and I am never bored as every day brings something new! I’m also happy to have learned how TDIC works and to meet tourists from all over the world who come to this beautiful place for a holiday. And I like the idea of protecting the wildlife and the way everybody on the island believes in working hard to achieve that.”
Sheikah recommends a Desert Islands internship to other Emiratis looking to grow their career prospects. “You have the opportunity to learn in a special place with many interesting and lovely people. I really feel like I have grown and that makes me happy.”
Ostrich Chicks Make their Debut
A number of ostrich chicks have hatched to the pair of Ostriches in the Arabian Wildlife Park. All five chicks are healthy and strong and guests can now see them following their parents around the park foraging for food.
The Ostrich is native to Africa and formerly the Middle East. The fastest bird on land, it can run at speeds of around 74 km an hour. When threatened, the Ostrich will either hide itself by lying flat on the ground or will run away. It can cause serious injury with a kick from its powerful legs.
Ostrich parents are known for being protective of their young and will work together to ensure the wellbeing of their chicks. During the incubation stage, the mother and father take it in turns to incubate the eggs, with the sand-coloured female sitting by day and the black-coloured male sitting by night in order to blend into the landscape and avoid detection of the nest by predators. Sir Bani Yas’s ostrich mother has been seen chasing away Sand Gazelle and other animals that have been getting too close to her young, while the ostrich father regularly accompanies his family around the park to make sure they come to no harm.
Cheetah Cubs Train for Hunting
They cubs still spend a lot of time playing and pouncing on each other. They are getting faster and are practicing quick changes of direction turning corners at great speed as seen in the attached image. This is important as prey species will try to get away from the cheetah by running in and out of bushes and running in a zigzag manner to try and confuse the cheetah and make the chase longer in the hope that the cheetah will get tired and give up.
The cubs are growing fast and are beginning to develop the body shape seen in adult cheetah – very streamlined and long limbed.
Our female cheetah is extremely smart, and we have noticed her making smart use of higher ground in the evening to look out for prey and predators over the past 6 weeks. As the days get hotter and hotter she is limiting the movement of her and her cubs and they are most active in the morning before the sun comes up.
A New Home For the Desert Islands Giraffes
The dedicated conservation team at Desert Islands is always working hard to improve the island and the quality of life for its inhabitants.
The giraffes will be the next to benefit from this work with the construction of a beautiful new enclosure full of lush green trees that has just been completed in the South of Sir Bani Yas Island.
The enclosure features a charming wooden viewing platform, so guests can view the giraffes from giraffe height. This will also benefit the giraffes as it will minimise noise from vehicles which may startle these graceful creatures.
Sir Bani Yas Island is currently home to 49 Reticulated Giraffes, a subspecies of giraffe that can be found in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia and can grow up to 5.8 metres tall. Reticulated giraffes can be distinguished by their large, polygonal liver-coloured spots outlined by a network of bright white lines. Like human fingerprints, every Giraffe’s spot pattern is unique, so no two giraffes look the same.
Summer Spectacular from Anantara
Book a Deluxe Room, Suite or Villa on Anantara Breeze Rate this summer and enjoy an AED 300 Resort credit per room, per night, to spend in our Restaurants and Pool Bar or Safaa Spa.
During summer, the resort is offering cool summer activities for all ages, such as cooking classes for adults, yoga, Thai massage classes, face painting and swimming classes. Details of the programme during your stay are available at check in.
Terms & Conditions:
-Available during summer season 1 May - 8 September 2010
-Available only on weekdays from Saturday - Wednesday
-Best available rate includes daily buffet breakfast and two island activities per person per day
-Offers are subject to availability
-Offers are not applicable for groups
-Rates are subject to 10% service charge and 6% tourism fee
For bookings and reservations, please contact Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara on Tel: +971 2 801 5400 or email: Resdirs@anantara.com