Remember those old postcards? The ones showing Dubai as a small town? Well right here before us stood a piece of that history. This is Dubai Zoo.
Dubai Zoo opened its gates on May 1 1967. It wasn’t some grand government project. A Dubai resident Otto J. Bulart built it. He received permission from Sheikh Rashid bin Maktoum the late Ruler of Dubai. The zoo occupied a 2-hectare plot in Jumeirah. It became a landmark. People saw it as the edge of town.
For years it housed animals like big cats monkeys and hoofed animals. There was even a small aquarium. The zoo was constantly redesigned and renovated. It was the first in Arabia to breed rare chimpanzees and Arabian wildcats. Amazing really.
But the zoo faced criticism. Cages were too small. Animal rights activists protested. Hotels and tourist websites even encouraged boycotts. Sadly the animals couldn’t move freely.
Then in 2017 things changed. Dubai Zoo closed. All the animals were moved. They found new homes in the much larger Dubai Safari Park. There they have more space. They live in an open habitat.
Dubai Zoo may be gone but its story remains. It represents a part of Dubai’s past. It reminds us of how far the city has come. And it shows that even the smallest zoos can have a big impact.