The Abu Dhabi Tourism and Investment Company announced Tuesday that two striped hyena cubs were born on Sir Bani Yas Island, part of Abu Dhabi’s Desert Islands destinations. The cubs were born as a result of a successful breeding program and their birth is particularly important to the UAE because the striped hyena is completely extinct in the country. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the striped hyena as ‘near threatened’ worldwide.
The conservation staff raised the mother hyena (Phiri) and father hyena (Arnold) then moved them to Sir Bani Yas Island after they were taught how to survive in the wild and be self sufficient. The hyenas freely roam the 4,100 hectare Arabian Wildlife Park on Sir Bani Yas Island, along with about 4,000 antelopes and gazelles, and cheetahs. Desert Islands has invited people to use the website www.desertislands.com to suggest names for the cubs, and learn about the hyenas and other endangered animals on the island
