Centre helps traumatised big cats.

Byline: Binsal Abdul Kader, Staff Reporter

Abu Dhabi: The past still haunts two tigers at Abu Dhabi Wildlife Centre (ADWC).

They are afraid of entering their small feeding area in the corner of their spacious enclosure.

"It seems they fear being caught in a cramped cage again, from where they were rescued. So & they go without food for two or three days, being reluctant to enter the feeding area," Rone'l Barcellos, the manager of the centre told Gulf News.

The centre is located near Al Watbha, on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi city.

Barcellos is struggling to encourage the tigers to get rid of their "phobia". The centre is planning to increase the space at the tigers' present enclosure.

About 75 per cent of the animals at the centre were rescued from illegal captivity, but the comfort of air conditioned rooms and timely food may not be enough for them.

Sometimes the centre has to struggle to help the animals get rid of their "shocking experiences in the past" as in the case of the two tigers.

Zulu, a six-year-old African lion reached the centre when he was a five-month-old cub.

Along with Bolt, a five-month-old cheetah, and other creatures, Zulu belongs to a list of animals rescued from captivity.

Despite the efforts of the centre to educate the public about keeping wild animals as pets, the practice continues.

Some people think that they can keep these animals as pets but later they realise how difficult it is, Barcellos said.

"It is also dangerous," she said. After a while either the owner gets bored or somebody gets injured and the neighbours report the incident to the authorities.

It is illegal to keep wild animals as pets at home. These animals are not pets, they should be in a natural environment where they are taken care of properly, she said.

"Sitting on [a] sofa and watching television, is not a natural life for a cheetah. It cannot contribute to its species - it cannot breed. It does not have interaction with other animals."

The centre promotes the conservation and rehabilitation of the animals through awareness and education in the community. While the centre faces the challenge of helping traumatised animals, Barcellos said another tough job during the summer is to protect the two white lions - Shaggy and Chance - from sunburn.

"Their skin is very susceptible to the sun, so they get sunburn or skin cancer."

The one-and-a-half-year-old lions have to spend the day time in air-conditioned rooms in their enclosure. But the Arabian wolves at the centre have their own way to beat the heat, Barcellos said.

Disregarding the air-conditioned room, they dig the ground to lie down under the sand, as they do in the desert.

Meanwhile, two Siberian Tigers have been donated to the centre for a breeding programme.

"They are endangered species, just less than 300 have been left&because of habitat loss caused by deforestation."

Cheetahs, white tigers and Bengal tigers are the other prominent endangered species at the centre.

Use of Damas trees A long line of Damas trees greets visitors to the Abu Dhabi Wildlife Centre. The chirping of a large number of birds on the trees enhance the soothing environment. To make a natural environment for animals, Rone'l Barcellos, the manager, opted for Damas trees because they do not bear flowers or fruits. "Sometimes, some flowers and fruits can be dangerous to the animals," she said.Aa Wild Life Centre to collect fruits and vegetables from community Abu Dhabi Next time when you dump the leftover vegetables and fruits from the kitchen, you can think of monkeys and hares at Abu Dhabi Wild Life Centre (ADWC). The centre plans to receive the contributions from the public in the form of food items like vegetable and fruits to encourage community's participation in wildlife conservation, Rone'l Barcellos, the manager of the centre told Gulf News. She explained that it is not for financial reasons but the centre's mission to make the community aware of the conservation. "Most of us waste a lot of food in this part of the world. While throwing out the food, if we think of the animals that were thrown out of their natural habitat by the misdeeds of human race, we may change our life style to make a better world! ", Barcellos said. Asked the practical means to collect the contributions [fruits and vegetables] from community and whether the centre would accept meat for big cats, she said the donors can contact the centre and coordinate with the staff. 'The quantity [of the fruits and vegetable] doesn't matter but involvement of the community is important", she said. -To contact the centre, email: [e-mail] Centre to open for the public after Ramadan Aa The Abu Dhabi Wildlife Centre will open to the public after the summer, although no date has been decided yet, Rone'l Barcellos, the manager said. The centre expects more involvement of the community in its wildlife conservation efforts when the doors are opened. "We will invite sponsors and volunteers, especially the students, to be part of the day to day functioning of the centre," Barcellos said. A gift shop named "Into the wild" will also open to the public. Impatient photographers On some occasions, it is fun to deal with impatient photographers who visit the Abu Dhabi Wildlife Centre to shoot the wild animals, according to manager Rone'l Barcellos. Unlike Gulf News senior photographers who have been visiting the centre for more than a decade, others continuously request the manager to move the animals into different positions for pictures. "I used to tell them, okay, you go and tell the lion to move!" Then only they understand that we have to be patient with the animals, she said. A[degrees] Have your say Would you be willing to donate food items for the wild animals? Do you think enough is being done to accommodate their needs? Tell us at [e-mail] Aaor fill in the comments form below.

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