The Environment and Protected Areas Authority in Sharjah (EPAA) announced the first birth of the Arabian Tahr at Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre. This took place in the centre’s new expansion that was opened at the beginning of last March by H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.

This birth is considered the first of many successes of the Arabian Tahr project being implemented by the center in its new expansion.

It also aims to enhance the achievement of the EPAA’s visions and goals which include conserving rare animals and birds, and species threatened with extinction, including the Arabian Tahr. The centre has succeeded in reintroducing this species into the Hajar mountains by providing an ideal natural environment for its breeding, making it a habitat for more than 30 different types of mountain wildlife.

Hana Saif Al Suwaidi, Chairperson of the Environment and Protected Areas Authority in Sharjah (EPAA), praised the efforts of the team at the center in the area of mountain environment conservation in the eastern region of Sharjah. The work aims to establish the Sharjah’s plans to enhance its leading position in conserving biodiversity at the local, regional, and international levels, and to support its environmental strategies with respect to natural life and the encouragement of the reproduction of endangered species.

It is noted that the Arabian Tahr is a diurnal animal that lives in small groups, with lifespans ranging from 8 to 16 years and weight between 15 to 40 kilograms. They predominantly inhabit rugged mountain slopes near permanent water sources and may swim in ponds, shallows and sand baths, as it depends for its food on water, grass, small shrubs, leaves and wild fruits

WAM