Housing different exotic animals, from an ostrich to a turtle, the indoor mini zoo at Summer Entertainment City (SEC), for the first time in Middle East, offers seemingly endless amount of fun things to do and see.
The indoor zoo has brought a different kind of attraction for the visitors, apart from just the toys, games, and food. It is for the first time that an indoor zoo has been setup for visitors to enjoy looking at the animals and children to enjoy a ride on the pony horses.
The zoo has been set up by Mini Zoo Events, a private company dealing in pet animals, in collaboration with Qatar Tourism Authority.
Talking to Community, Mohamad al-Mokdad, a Lebanese expatriate and owner of the company said “This is the first ever indoor zoo set up in Qatar and Middle East. We’re getting good response from the visitors. The zoo has brought something different for the visitors. Families especially are loving the zoo corner at SEC.”
About the upkeep of the zoo, he said, “We have trained staff. We keep the place and the animals clean. All the animals are healthy and are examined daily by the experts. The animals are well trained and are docile. We have zero accident ratio at the zoo so far. We are using a special kind of grass to absorb bad odour. You will find no stink at the place as we change the grass every day.”
He added, “We have different kinds of animal, including Racka sheep, Cameroon sheep, Jacob sheep (with four horns), Valley black nose sheep, Mufflon, Emu ostrich, Bennett wallaby, Fallow deer, Eland deer, Dik-dik gazelle, Macaws, Sulcata tortoise, Toucan, Shetland horse, Lama, Alpaca, peacocks, ducks and geese, snake and lizards.”
Regarding the response to the zoo, Mohamad said, “It is unique and new idea to have an indoor zoo. I saw an opportunity and had meetings with the organisers. They liked my idea and facilitated me to set up the facility. At one time we have ten animals in the zoo and we keep on changing them for the visitors. I am happy to be a part of SEC. Kids take a ride on horsebacks and play with goats and lambs.”
He said, “Earlier I set up the zoo at Sheraton Park during Qatar International Food Festival, but that was an outdoor experience.”
Talking about how he got the idea of bringing animals to Qatar, Mohamad said, “I am an animal lover. I started keeping pets when I was only 7-year-old. Since then I have been in love with all kinds of animals. In Qatar, I observed that people have different kind of animals but they do not have exotic animals. I started importing small exotic dogs and cats. People started showing interest in these animals.I have been visiting different houses giving my piece of advice to the people keeping animals. My company has been organising mini zoos at different houses for the families and children. People invite my company to set up a zoo as they want their children to experience and see different kinds of live animals.”
About his work experience in Qatar, Mohamad said, “Qatar is my home. The country has given me great opportunities. I think I may not have been able to set up such kind of business on a large scale back in Lebanon. I am happy that I am bringing beautiful animals and birds in Qatar. I am also glad to share my experience and expertise with different farm owners and veterinary experts here. I plan to import animals that have never been in Qatar before.”