At 6am, Shambay Khoray, 65, one of the oldest employees of the Dubai Zoo, who was hired by its founder Otto J. Bulart in 1968, walks in with many other animal-keepers.
He is a frail man, with a lanky frame stooping with age, but his eyes shine with joy as he calls out to the chimpanzees, his favourite animals. They amble eagerly towards him and thus starts his day.
“I love the chimpanzees, who have been here for more than a decade. They always recognise me and call out to me,” says Khoray, who is due to retire soon and return to his family in Bandar Abbas.
A primary task of the animal keepers is to check on the double-fencing and the wire nets around each enclosure for any breach that may endanger visitors. The keepers then take a head count and check if the animals are in good health. The ones that look dull or listless and haven’t touched their food are referred to the in-house vet.
As the day gets into its stride, the keepers get down to distributing a round of food to entice the animals back into their cages so that they can begin the daily clean-up of the enclosures. The simians get fruit and dry fruit snacks and the carnivores get chunks of meat.
Once the animals get into their cages, the cages are shut and the keepers get down to cleaning the enclosures. They rake dead leaves, scrape off droppings, and wash and disinfect the concrete floors. It is quite a long and tiring chore and by 9.30am, it’s time for a short breakfast recess.
At breakfast, Khoray reminisces about times gone by. “I love all the animals and know no other work. I was barely 17 years old when I came from Bandar Abbas to work with Bulart. In those days, we did not require a passport to come here and I am not even sure of my exact age. Bulart was a dedicated animal lover and I learnt a lot about animals from him. Jumeirah was a desert patch then, far removed from the city. Even after 47 years, I love my job and look forward to each day.”
It is nearly 10.30am and time for the animal-keepers to get back to their jobs as lunch time for their wards is approaching. Food has to be prepared.
Dubai Zoo spends around Dh900,000 annually on food for its animals and an additional Dh100,000 on medicines and vitamin supplements. The meal preparation involves a lot of chopping and cleaning of fruit, meat and vegetables, with nuts and vitamin tablets supplementing the meals.
After about an hour of preparation, the animal-specific meals are ready. “We breed rabbits to feed to the snakes and also the big cats. The lions and tigers are not given any food on Saturdays to cleanse their digestive system and on the next day, they are fed only rabbits to give their system a rest,” Khoray explains.
Each animal has its favourite food that is used as a treat to reinforce good behaviour.
Digit and Diana, the gorilla couple, love raisins. Porcupines feed on salad greens and carrots and love corn-on-the-cob. The brown fish owl that was rescued from captivity loves a well-done piece of meat rather than the raw stuff.
The keepers use a special language to communicate with the animals. They call out to and banter with their animal wards every day. It is a committed relationship built on love, compassion and of course, special treats.
The keepers go home by noon as the early morning visitors head home and the animals settle down for an afternoon siesta.
As the zoo reopens for visitors in the evening, the keepers return at 3.30pm and begin preparing for the evening feed. Most animals are fed three to four times a day.
By sunset, as visitors depart and night falls, the creatures in the Dubai Zoo — big and small — unwind for the day in the place they call home.
