IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| El Algamy, H.; Simkins, G. | |
| Camera trap survey in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve | |
| 2007 Wildlife Middle East (2): 4-4 | |
The Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR) was established in 2003 as a protected area with the main aim of conserving the natural resources of Dubai's inland desert and to restore the natural fauna and flora of the reserve to its natural state. In order to achieve this aim it was decided to carry out a number of surveys to assess the current situation and to determine the priorities for the next phase. The main focus of the survey was to assess the presence and distribution of the following species: Gordon's wildcat (_Felis silvestris gordoni_), sand cat (_Felis margarita_), caracal (_Caracal caracal schmitzi_), Arabian red fox (_Vulpes vulpes arabica_) and sand fox (_Vulpes rueppelli_). In order to attract these species the camera traps were baited with meat on a regular basis. So far only two of the target species, Arabian red fox and Gordon's wildcat, were recorded. This would suggest that the other target species within the DDCR are not resident. The most abundant and dispersed wild mammal species recorded was the Arabian red fox, then the Arabian gazelle (which was also recorded at all the sites but with less frequency) and finally the Gordon's wildcat (density estimate: 0.02 individuals/km2). The main reason for the pressure on the wildcat population is through competition with feral cats which compete for food resources and territory and at the same time threaten the genetic integrity of the species by hybridization. In order to protect the remaining Gordon's wildcats, a program has been started to capture and remove as many feral cats from the DDCR as possible. This survey has shown that the diversity of predatory mammals within the DDCR is critically low and that serious conservation measures are required to protect the remaining species as well as focusing on the potential re-introduction programs for both sand fox and sand cat in the near future. |
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