The books page has been compiled with the assistance of the Natural
History Book Service whose address is given at the end of these
reviews. To avail of special discount offers, readers of this
magazine should mention Arabian Wildlife when placing their order
with the Natural History Book Service.
Written and illustrated byMarijcke Jongbloed
“In the east the sky was showing the first signs of light. The
dawn mist softened the outlines of the low dunes, that stretched
in row after row, like the waves of a choppy sea.”
So begins another Arabian wildlife story from the talented artist
and author, Marijcke Jongbloed. As one has learned to expect from
this author, the book is full of accurate wildlife observations
while the story itself is both gripping and moving. Yawi, the
central character, is a wildcat living in the UAE desert. Like
all wild animals the young Yawi is also very much a part of the
entire environment. The story begins in springtime, following
a period when rain has fallen and “…..the thousands of seeds,
that had lain in the sand for many years, became drenched. The
seeds became soft and started to grow”. It was, in the author’s
words, “the beginning of an explosion of life in the desert. The
new shoots of plants were eaten by the hares, the flowers gave
honey to bees and other insects. The seeds fed the gerbils, the
jirds and the jerboas. The insects in their turn were eaten by
lizards, hedgehogs and the colouful bee-eaters. The lizards, in
turn, fed the shrikes and the owls, the snakes and the cats, who
also caught the many small rodents.”
Such lines are evocative reminders of just how inter-dependent
animals and plants are within nature. The term ‘ecosystem’ is
a cold scientific description of a phenomenon which Marijcke understands
in all its intricacies and which moulds the very existence of
her wildlife characters. There are many other players in her story
and these are beautifully illustrated by her own drawings in both
black ink and coloured pencil. I challenge anyone, of any age,
living anywhere in the world, to read this book and not to be
moved by the story of Yawi’s life or by the delicate balance of
his fragile world. Apart from being a wonderful tale, it also
has a serious message and a plea for protection of wildcats in
Arabia. Published with assistance from Swaidan Trading Co., Goodyear,
and Monroe, this is a little classic that will run and run. Make
sure that you obtain an early edition! If you are unable to track
it down at the normal retail outlets. try writing to the Arabian Leopard Trust, P O Box 12119, Dubai; or fax 9714 -446191.
Whales and Dolphins along the Coast of Oman.
by Robert Baldwin and Rod Salm.
Greatest of all the beasts are the Whales,
for they shall not be measured by man,
In a world older and more absolute than ours,
With the waves they move, finished and complete,
Gifted with the extensions of the senses we have lost or never
attained,
Living by voices we shall never hear.
Anna-Marie Baldwin.
This beautiful poem appears in the very welcome contribution to
our knowledge of Oman’s whales and dolphins. The book was reviewed
in the previous issue of Arabian Wildlife.
Available from Natural History Book Service.
Emirates Bird Records Committee
For local information on bird-watching in the UAE consult the
Emirates Bird Report, the 18th edition of which is presently available.
This beautifully produced small volume, published by the Emirates
Bird Records Committee (PO Box 50394, Dubai), contains data from
the 1993 record keeping programme which is run on a voluntary
basis by bird-watchers throughout the UAE. In addition it contains
some very interesting feature articles covering subjects such
as the spring migration of Lesser Kestrels through the UAE and
northern Oman in 1994 as well as a number of first record accounts.
Bulletin of the Emirates Natural History Group ISSN 1019-6919
Volume 4, number 2 of this biannual publication was available
at the time of going to press. Tribulus is a superb publication
that covers a wide range of themes related to scientific studies
of the UAE’s environment, encompassing archaeology and natural
history in all its forms. This particular issue has articles on
investigations of a pre-Islamic Christian site on Sir Bani Yas;
results of the 1994 archaeological season in Milheia; the Sabkhat
Matti – a forgotten wadi system; Sooty Falcons in the UAE; impact
of the April 1994 oil spill; together with a long list of regular
features and news items. Further information can be obtained by
writing to the Group at P O Box 2380, Abu Dhabi.
Flora of the Arabian Peninsula and Socotra
Volume 1
Edinburgh University Press. Edited by A.G.Miller and T.A.Cope
This is the first volume in a comprehensive six part series which
charts the flora of the Arabian peninsula and the Socotran archipelago.
It covers all native flowering plants and ferns as well as major
cultivated and amenity plants. The work is based upon botanical
collections and studies made in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, The Sultanate
of Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. The
first part of this volume gives a concise introduction including
sections on topology and geology, climate, vegetation, floristics,
phytogeography, and conservation. Part two begins the systematic
study of the flora. Each species is separately mapped with notes
on ecology and distribution. Illustrations and keys are provided
to aid identification. With descriptions of around 700 species
in each volume, this will become an essential reference source
on Arabian flora, valuable to specialists and non-specialists
alike. Volumes 1 to 4 of the series will cover the dicot families
while volume 5 will be on the monocot families and volume 6 will
provide a monographic introduction. (ISBN 0 7486 0475 8; 544 pages;
94 illustrations, 695 maps). Readers may order from Natural History
Book Service and should mention the magazine when placing their
order. At the time of going to press the final price of this book
had not been confirmed but it will be in the region of stg£50.
We hope to bring additional information on this important new
title in future issues of Arabian Wildlife magazine.
Conservation and Biology of Desert Antelopes
Christopher Helm. Edited by Alexandra Dixon and David Jones.
Unlike the volume described above, this book has been around for
several years, having been originally published in 1988. Given
the paucity of literature in book form on Arabian gazelles and
oryx however, we are bringing it to the attention of our readers
since it remains a valuable reference source. The book’s first
part chronicles the successful intensive captive breeding and
reintroduction programme for the Arabian oryx. Although the outline
of the story is well known in conservation circles, the details
still make rivetting reading. The first two chapters comprise
Ian Grimwood’s account of ‘Operation Oryx’ and Wayne Homan’s story
of how Riyadh, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego, Brownsville, Berlin,
Antwerp, Zurich, and London Zoos, together with reserves in Arabia
became involved in establishment of the ‘World Herd’. The early
stages of re-introduction of the Arabian oryx in Oman are described
by Ralph Daly in the third chapter while Mark Stanley Price ‘s
following chapter describes the field operations and research
undertaken as part of the project established on the Jiddat-al-Harasis.
The book also has valuable contributions on reintroduction of
oryx in Jordan (by Maher Abu Jafar and Copelia Hays-Shahin); the
oryx in captivity (David Jones); genetic status of the Arabian
oryx (Georgina Mace); veterinary aspects (Richard Kock and Christine
Hawkey); chemical immobilisation of oryx (M.H.Woodford and co-authors);
social organization in oryx (Timothy Wacher); a chapter on wildlife
and attitudes toward animals in Arabia (Jonathon Kingdon); an
account of different responses of Arabian tahr and gazelle to
protection from hunting in Oman (Paul Munton); a catalogue of
the genus Gazella (Colin Groves) and an account on research and
management of Arabian sand gazelles in the USA by Stephen Kingswood
and Arlene Kumamoto. This is a serious book which is essential
reading for all those who are involved in conservation or management
of large mammals in Arabia.
ISBN: 0-7470-1604-6; £25. The book is still available from Natural
History Book Service. Purchasers should mention Arabian Wildlife
Magazine when placing their orders.
Motivate. Christian Gross.
This is another book that has been available for several years.
The author has a sensitive feel for Arabian wildlife and has written
a short but very interesting account of southern Arabian mammals
that is full of his first-hand observations. It is refreshing
to find accounts of species like the striped hyaena, fennec fox,
Ruppell’s fox, caracal lynx, wild cat, mongoose, hedgehogs, and
mouse-tailed bats (to mention only some of those covered in the
book) that are based upon personal field observations of live
animals rather than desk studies of dead specimens. Both amateur
naturalists and professional biologists will find this book to
be a worthwhile addition to their libraries.
(Available at bookshops within the region and from Natural History
Book Service. Price upon application.)
Motivate. Donald and Eloise Bosch.
The authors are renowned for their long interest in Arabian wildlife
and in particular for their study of southern Arabia’s sea-shells.
They have written other, more comprehensive books on the subject
but this one is a valuable introduction for those who are seeking
a simple straightforward account of what is what among the many
seashells that are washed-up along the sea-shores of this region.
Readers of Arabian Wildlife are definitely not encouraged to collect
live shells but there are plenty of dead specimens that can provide
endless hours of enjoyment and this book will help to heighten
the pleasure of admiring nature, by helping to identify the individual
species and providing information about each of them.
Available from Natural History Book Service. Price on application.
Desmond Morris’s World of Animals
River Swift. Desmond Morris. Illustrated by Peter Barrett.
This is a book for children that adults will also enjoy. Although
not specifically on Arabian wildlife, several of the accounts
are pertinent to readers of this magazine and the younger reader
will gain a fascinating insight into the wider picture of our
natural world. The book addresses such questions as why do zebras
have stripes; how camels travel for days in hot desert without
drinking and just how fast can a cheetah run. This reviewer found
great enjoyment in the beautiful paintings, and especially in
the fascinating account of the humpback whale.
Dorling Kindersley. Barbara Taylor. Illustrated by Richard Orr.
Which birds’ eggs are so strong that ou could stand on them? What
is bird’s nest soup made from? What is the world’s heaviest flying
bird? These, and many more queries about our planet’s birdlife
are answered in this fascinating and magnificently illustrated
book from the Dorling Kindersley stable. Unfortunately Arabia
is not well covered but keen young bird-watchers resident in Arabia
will still enjoy the book for the great variety and depth of information
that it contains. Would it be too much to dream of such a book
on Arabia’s birds? Dorling Kindersley’s books are in a class of
their own and represent very good value for money. This one retails
in the UK at £10.95 and is available from the Natural History
Book Service. Readers ordering from them should mention Arabian
Wildlife Magazine.
2-3 Wills Road, Totnes, Devon TD9 5NX, United Kingdom
Telephone: 01803-865913
International: +44-1803-865913
Fax: +44-1803-865280
E-mail: [email protected]
Arabian Wildlife. Volume 2, Number 2