The Sheikh Zayed Desert Learning Centre, SZDLC, at Al Ain Zoo today started five days of activities to celebrate the first anniversary of the opening of the centre.

The activities include a daily series of workshops and shows, including camel accessories, doll-making, origami, a birds ‘pop-up’, coffee making and story-telling, along with pottery painting and face painting.

The Centre was conceived as an educational facility that combines knowledge and learning through specially-designed interactive exhibits, multimedia and visual materials. It has five interactive galleries, which are Sheikh Zayed Tribute Hall, Abu Dhabi's Desert over Time, Abu Dhabi's Living World, People of the Desert and Looking to the Future. The Emirati guides at the centre have been trained to ensure that visitors are provided with an accurate picture of the UAE’s natural environment.

The Sheikh Zayed Desert Learning Centre is the first building in the UAE to earn a rating of five pearls in sustainability accreditation at the Design & Construction stage, in accordance with the exacting standards set by the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council. The Centre has also received a LEED Platinum certification, (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

Established in 1968 by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, as part of his vision to create a facility that offered natural habitats for animals to live freely, the Zoo provides both entertainment and an opportunity to learn about UAE wildlife in a natural outdoor environment. It currently has a collection of over 3,500 animals, many of which are globally-endangered species, including the charismatic Arabian oryx.

A member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquaria, WAZA, the Al Ain Zoo has strategic partnerships with leading zoos, conservation agencies and associations from across the world, including the World Conservation Union and its Species Survival Commission, the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, Edinburgh Zoo in the United Kingdom, the Northern Rangelands Trust of Kenya and the Sahara Conservation Fund.