National_Geographic_Traveller_UK_June_2017

CONSERVATION
DUBAI’S BIG FIVE
1. SNAKES
The many and varied reptiles in
the reserve include: the Jayakars
sand boa, which ranges from
12-26ins in size; the even-larger
Arabian horned viper, with its
fearsome-looking triangularshaped
head; and the Sindh
saw-scaled viper, which leaves a
‘side-winding’ track in its wake.
2. FOXES
Of the two foxes in the reserve,
the Arabian fox is most similar to
our common red fox, though with
larger ears and a smaller body.
Smaller, white-coloured sand
foxes are also present.
release the pressure in our tyres so
the wheels can cruise across the
sandy terrain, before we head out
into the dunes. It’s definitely a lot
to take in. But the Biosphere
approach is that anyone can take
part, providing they have a
willingness to learn.
That said, my fellow participants
do seem to be of a certain calibre.
There’s Jim, a wiry computer
hardware designer from northern
California; Albert, a softly spoken
farmer with an MBA in agriculture;
Ziggy, a legal assistant; and
Yvonne, a biologist. Not exactly
laymen, but ready to learn
nonetheless. It’s a mixed-aged
ensemble too, hailing from all parts
of the globe, including Britain,
America and Germany. The
unifying factor is a firm interest in
conservation and the environment,
especially animals.
Sufficiently bonded, our group
slips into the daily routine of
meeting at the DDCR office each
morning to pick up equipment, get
into teams and be assigned our
tasks by Greg, before heading out
to survey the sands, armed with a
packed lunch.
A common perception is that
deserts are a barren landscape,
devoid of life and impervious to
change. But that couldn’t be
further from the truth, I discover.
For one thing, the light shifts
constantly, dark and ominous one
minute, red and romantic the next,
casting the dunes in a kaleidoscope
of ever-changing shadows. The
weather too, is unpredictable,
ranging from still and warm one
day, to fiercely windy the next,
forcing us to use shirts, sunglasses
and scarves to keep the sand from
getting into our eyes, ears and
noses. It doesn’t work. Several
showers follow. Still more sand.
The flora and fauna are a
surprise, too. Gnarled trunks and
windswept trees stand isolated
against a backdrop of endless
dunes, imbuing the landscape with
a surreal, Dali-esque quality.
During the establishment of the
reserve, many of these trees and
shrubs were planted to provide
sustenance for the reintroduced
wildlife. It’s for this reason camels
are kept out of the reserve,
otherwise they’d make short
work of all the vegetation.
Of all the sightings though, one
of the best we witness is a pair of
pharaoh eagle-owls, a male and
female, that we spook while driving
past, sending the predators flying
out onto the slopes. We wait,
PREVIOUS PAGE: Camera
trap photos of wildlife in
the Dubai desert
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP
LEFT: Arabian horned
viper; Campsite of a
Biosphere Expedition
group; Collecting data
from the camera traps
3. GAZELLES
The reserve’s three gazelles
include: the large, long-horned
oryx, defined by its uniformly
white body; the flank-striped
Arabian gazelle; and the harderto-spot
sand gazelle, which is the
only one to give birth to twins,
typically in spring and autumn.
4. CATS
There are three felines present in
the reserve: the domestic-sized
Gordon’s wildcat; the reddishbrown
caracal; and the decidedly
cute-faced sand cat, with its
distinctive black leg markings. All
are nocturnal and difficult to spot.
5. LIZARDS
Other scaly sightings include:
the UAE’s largest (and most
aggressive) lizard, the desert
monitor; the ruler-sized, yellowspotted
agama; and the Leptiens
spiny-tailed lizard, which can live
for up to 80 years.
168 natgeotraveller.co.uk