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been collected on the Farasan Islands (the remaining gazelles on these
islands are not of this species). The Saudi Gazelle (Gazella saudiya) is
extinct in the wild, and the few held in captivity are now believed to
be possible hybrids. The Bubal Hartebeest (Alcelaphus b. buselaphus)
that once lived across large swathes of North Africa had probably
disappeared from the region by the 1930s. The extinction of the Queen
of Sheba’s Gazelle (Gazella bilkis) from its limited range in Yemen is
almost certain, but one can always hold a little hope for its survival.
Then there was the demise of the region’s two oryx: Arabian Oryx
(Oryx leucoryx) once roamed the Arabian Peninsula, and Scimitar-
horned Oryx (Oryx dammah) lived in the Sahara and Sahel. Some of
these species were once abundant. In 1936 a herd of Scimitar-horned
Oryx estimated to be 10,000 strong was seen in north-central
Chad. By the 1980s a few hundred were believed to survive in that
country; today the species is extinct as a truly wild mammal. Its
fate was sealed when Libyan-backed rebels and government forces
fought for dominance in the area from 1978. Fortunately, populations
of both oryx were held in captivity and these can now be used in
reintroduction programmes.
Other species are hovering on the edge of the abyss with little
being done to save them. One other possible extinction may have
taken place in Arabia in the 1960s, although details remain sketchy.
The Lesser Kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis), a well-known antelope in East
Africa, is known in the region from just two individuals that were shot
in Arabia – in Saudi Arabia and Yemen – where it lived in mountainous
country associated with the wadi systems and adjacent plains. Local
tribesmen say it does not occur in the region today.
Even up to the time of the Islamic revolution in 1979, substantial
numbers of game survived in Iran. In the Golestan National Park in
that year there were said to be as many as 15,000 Urial (Wild Sheep)
and large numbers of gazelles across the country. Following the
revolution, it is believed that as much as 80 per cent of Iran’s larger
wildlife was lost.
The current state of conservation across North Africa and the
Middle East is a mixed bag. Some countries have minimal conservation
legislation and no reserve management. These contrast with a few
that are making major efforts to protect their habitats and species.
On paper, the conserved areas are substantial, but on-the-ground
protection is often minimal to non-existent. Human populations
continue to grow, and their livestock continues to overgraze and
trample, out-competing the wild ungulates. In those areas where it is
practical to cultivate, every square centimetre is made use of. There
is also continuing armed conflict in parts of the region. There are
conflicts in Iraq, the Western Sahara (Morocco), Israel and Palestine,
and Lebanon, and conflict with the Kurds in eastern Turkey. We have
little idea of what is happening to the wildlife in many of these areas.
If core wildlife populations are protected they can bounce back, but
once an animal is driven to extinction only a few skins and skulls will
remain in museum collections.