Breeding centre for endangered Arabian Wildlife is a modern amenity in Sharjah that aims in the captive breeding of the unique fauna of the Arabian Peninsula. Along with captive breeding it is also responsible for the research and conservation of all the mammal, reptile, freshwater fish, amphibians and invertebrates that has made the Arabian Peninsula their home. The project is a dream come true of the His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed al Qassimi who wished to protect and preserve the natural flora and fauna of Sharjah and the United Arab Emirates.
The Breeding centre for endangered Arabian wildlife along with other three amenities constitute the Sharjah desert park. BCEAW is currently closed to the public, but all the animals that are protected here can be seen at the Arabian wildlife centre. It is also the headquarters for the Captive breeding program for the dangerously endangered species, the Arabian Leopard.
Under the leadership of the visionary His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed al Qassimi, the Sharjah government has realized the need for employing environmental policies and conservation of the endangered wildlife of the Arabian Peninsula, as early as the 1990s. A private enterprise Animal Management consultancy was instituted to design and build a facility that could solve these issues. Thus, the Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabic Wildlife was inaugurated on May 1998. With the Arabian Leopard as the flagship species of the breeding centre, the BCEAW has grown into a facility that is not only used for captive breeding of the endangered species, but also in the research of the entire fauna of the Middle East region.
Not only the preservation, but also the environmental education was also a necessary part in this area. Keeping this in mind the Animal Management Consultancy opened the Arabian Wild life centre in September 1999. The species that are exhibited in the Arabian wild life centre were captured from the wild, obtained from the zoos of the nearby countries in some cases and also from private collections.
The BCEAW breeds about 200 species including Arabian Leopard, North African Cheetah, Arabian Tahr, to Arabian freshwater fish, amphibians, reptiles and birds. An annual International conference is also hosted by the Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife under the name ‘Biodiversity Conservation in the Arabian Peninsula’.
