Since animals were first brought to Sir Bani Yas off the coast of Abu Dhabi more than four decades ago, their total population has soared to more than 13,000.
Twenty-five species of mammals and 170 types of birds are found in a nature reserve covering an area of 1,400 hectares (3,500 acres).
They include striped hyenas, caracals -- also known as the desert lynx -- and the Arabian tahr, a small goat-like mammal indigenous to the Hajar Mountains between the UAE and Oman.
Some species are, or were, endangered in the region, or even extinct in the wild.
The reserve began as an initiative by late UAE founder Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan al-Nahayan who started bringing animals to Sir Bani Yas in 1971.
Sir Bani Yas is now home to about 500 Arabian Oryx -- one of the world's largest herds.
A type of antelope, they once roamed most of the Arabian Peninsula but rampant hunting meant that for years they survived only in captivity.
Conservationists believe the last remaining Arabian Oryx in the wild was shot and killed in the Omani desert in 1972.
They were bred and reintroduced in the UAE and other countries, resulting in their removal in 2011 from the global list of endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which now classifies them as vulnerable.
Sand and mountain gazelles have also found a natural habitat on Sir Bani Yas.
In 2008, four cheetahs were brought to the island to help maintain a natural balance.
Bred or raised in captivity, the four cheetahs were taught to survive and hunt for themselves, feeding mainly on sand gazelles.
In 2010, the first cheetah cubs were born on the island.
Non-indigenous animals including the scimitar-horned oryx, the reticulated giraffe and blackbuck antelopes have also been introduced in the park.
Every visitor to the island is urged to plant a mangrove and if they do not then the reserve does it for them.
About 2.5 million trees have been planted on Sir Bani Yas, which after decades closed to the public was opened to tourists six years ago offering African-style safaris.
Sir Bani Yas, located around 170 kilometres (106 miles) from the capital of Abu Dhabi, is also home to the remains of a pre-Islamic monastery and other archeological remains.
PHOTO: Axis deer on Sir Bani Yas Island, one of the largest natural islands in the UAE.
CREDIT: Karim Sahib - AFP/File.