emirates7 - The International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC), an affiliate of Erth Zayed Philanthropies, announced its participation in the inaugural edition of the Al Ain International Hunting & Equestrian Exhibition, taking place from 26th to 30th November 2025 at the Al Ain Convention Centre. The event is held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Al Ain Region.
Aligning with the exhibition’s celebration of Al Ain as a historic and contemporary hub for wildlife and environmental stewardship, IFHC will have a pavilion highlighting the city’s central role in global Houbara conservation. Al Ain is home to the Sheikh Khalifa Houbara Breeding Centre and the National Avian Research Centre—two of the world’s leading facilities under IFHC in captive breeding, research, and reintroduction of Asian Houbara.
The Fund’s pavilion will include a special area dedicated to the city, from which the Abu Dhabi Houbara Conservation Program was launched by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan at the Al Ain Zoo in 1977. The pavilion has been designed to narrate the unique and historic success story through an interactive mural that presents the project in a distinctive and engaging way.
Visitors are encouraged to solve puzzles and questions to receive a certificate recognising their knowledge of the environmental and cultural importance of the Houbara, its biological characteristics, migration routes, the risks it faces during migration, and international cooperation efforts to conserve it. The pavilion also includes live Houbara birds in an enclosure that simulates their natural habitat.
At the heart of the pavilion is a special corner displaying various equipment, devices, and modern technologies developed by the Fund’s centres. These introduce visitors to the different stages of the captive-breeding process—from collecting reproductive fluids from male Houbara, to artificial insemination, egg collection, incubation in artificial hatchers, hatching, care, and rearing—culminating in the release of the birds into the wild and the monitoring of their survival, adaptation, migration, and reproduction to help boost their numbers in nature.
Young visitors and children attending the exhibition can also access the “Habour AI Platform,” which introduces them to the cultural and environmental significance of Houbara and the importance of conserving the species.
IFHC will continue its ongoing campaign to strengthen partnerships with falconers—key stakeholders in the Fund’s mission—to support sustainable practices, protect wildlife, and preserve natural heritage for future generations.
Aligning with the exhibition’s celebration of Al Ain as a historic and contemporary hub for wildlife and environmental stewardship, IFHC will have a pavilion highlighting the city’s central role in global Houbara conservation. Al Ain is home to the Sheikh Khalifa Houbara Breeding Centre and the National Avian Research Centre—two of the world’s leading facilities under IFHC in captive breeding, research, and reintroduction of Asian Houbara.
The Fund’s pavilion will include a special area dedicated to the city, from which the Abu Dhabi Houbara Conservation Program was launched by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan at the Al Ain Zoo in 1977. The pavilion has been designed to narrate the unique and historic success story through an interactive mural that presents the project in a distinctive and engaging way.
Visitors are encouraged to solve puzzles and questions to receive a certificate recognising their knowledge of the environmental and cultural importance of the Houbara, its biological characteristics, migration routes, the risks it faces during migration, and international cooperation efforts to conserve it. The pavilion also includes live Houbara birds in an enclosure that simulates their natural habitat.
At the heart of the pavilion is a special corner displaying various equipment, devices, and modern technologies developed by the Fund’s centres. These introduce visitors to the different stages of the captive-breeding process—from collecting reproductive fluids from male Houbara, to artificial insemination, egg collection, incubation in artificial hatchers, hatching, care, and rearing—culminating in the release of the birds into the wild and the monitoring of their survival, adaptation, migration, and reproduction to help boost their numbers in nature.
Young visitors and children attending the exhibition can also access the “Habour AI Platform,” which introduces them to the cultural and environmental significance of Houbara and the importance of conserving the species.
IFHC will continue its ongoing campaign to strengthen partnerships with falconers—key stakeholders in the Fund’s mission—to support sustainable practices, protect wildlife, and preserve natural heritage for future generations.