ABU DHABI // One hundred houbara bustards were released in a reserve in the Western Region last week.
The birds were released at Al Oshoosh Reserve in Al Ajban to help them adapt to the natural environment, under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region and chairman of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
Jumaa bin Ateek Al Rumaithi, director of the reserve, said the move was part of the reserve's annual release programme for houbara bustards. It was also in line with conservation efforts in collaboration with the National Avian Research Centre in Sweihan, reported Aletihad, the Arabic-language sister paper of The National.
Last year, 150 birds were released and monitored, and were observed to have adapted and reproduced satisfactorily.
The UAE leadership has been working for the past four decades to preserve houbara bustards by increasing their numbers in the wild and preserving their natural habitats in other parts of the world.
The bird is considered by international conservationists to be a vulnerable species.
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