Arabian Wildlife A -- b h o T IT Yemen, a country of extreme physical contrasts, has a lot to northern Yemen because so many have been cut down and i ~ offer nature enthusiasts. High, rain-filled mountains (up to used for firewood. S, 3900 m) near to the Red Sea coast drop to the hot, flat From the eco-touris m p oin t of view, Yemen's main T Tihama plain. Scrub and gravel desert, interspersed with i1ttraction is its birdlife, which is particularl y a bundant a: mountains and gorges of exposed rock, stretch to the north during the spring and autumn migrations. At these times d and east of the mountain range, abutting onto the rolling thousa nds of raptors cross the Bab-al-Mand e b s traits sand dunes of the Rub al-Khali. H e re, the area between Yemen and Africa, but there are il lso many species S regularly sees fla sh floods from rain in the m ountains; that use the junction of land and seil il long the Red Sea coast A th ough these ilre now controlled by the new dam. Further ilS il fl ight pilth between Africa and Europe. Whilst ru nning it east is the Wadi Hildramaut, a wide fertile water-course fed a boat in this area, I hilve witnessed hundreds of exhausted Sl by run-off from the large barren plateau cil ll ed th e }ol. The birds lilnd fo r a rest, picked up others from th e seil, ilnd al southern COil s t of Yemen, along the Gulf of Aden, is even had one fall asleep on my sung lil sses, whilst I was tl predominilntly lava fields, interspersed with scrub ilreilS, wearing them! G sand dunes and volcanic mountains. Pl aces where there is wate r for most of th e yeiH illso gt support plenty of birdlife. Particularly interesting are th e 11 regular sightings of Ambian Bustilrds in cereal fi elds near to Wadi Ohar , nE sunllner palace. Luhaya h, tho ugh, for obvious reasons; conservationists would prefer to keep the exact loca tion secret. Arilb iah T Bustards ha ve also been seen south of Zebid and neilr Aden. TI Yemen is il very a ttractive place for the commited eco­ th to uris t to v is it, not only b ecau se of its interesting bi geographical feiltures, flora and fauna, but because th e so trad itionill lifestyle of its people has remained relatively is untouched by the 20th century. ar JABAL BURAIW ADI RIMA The two best areilS for eco-tourism require four-wheel-drive N vehicles, with an experienced driver and d o not have any " bi nearby accommodation. These are the beaches between AI m Mokha and Al Hokha, and the Jabal Bura / Rimil a rea, both w, are hot and humid all year round. w At any time of yeilr, a drive along th e beach between ra Mokhil and Hokhil will give you sightings of many dozens of of species fr o m waders, terns and gull s, to flamingos, th ospreys, pelicans, th e ubiquitous Blilck Kite and, with luck, ~ H ~ il green turtlel ~ Jabal Bura is directly east of Hodeidil, but is normally Sf ~ th reilched by a dirt trilck fr om Suknah viil MilnsuriYil. Above "' to Souk AI-Sabt Al-Mahrilb, is il smil ll remnant of woodl and th Tril ditiona l methods of land m anagement, particularly containing rare plants, some 50 species of birds, hamadryas terracing of mountainsides, have, by and large, allowed the bilboons, rock hyrax, s triped h yaena s, ho ney bad gers, M bioheterogeneity to survive. Nevertheless, intensive hunting m ongooses and genet. T and the wide aVililability of firearms has brought pressure Wadi Rimil, descending from Jabal Rima, is southeast of m to bear on certilin speci es. Bilit AI Faqih, but is best reached from Mildinilt Ash Shi rq, co Animills found in Yemen include caracal, striped hyaena, which is on th e new road from Ma'abar near Dhamar, on W foxes, hares, crested porcupines, m o ngoose, Indian the Silnil'il -Taiz road and Izzan on the Hodeida-Sana'a road. th monitors, aga mid lizards, jerboa, gerbils, chameleons, This areil is more cultivated than Jabal Buril, but from 15 to ye sco rpions, camel spiders a nd the occasional snake. 25 km south of Madinilt Ash Shirg, in the nreilS between Hamadryas bilboons ilnd rock hyrax ilre plentiful on the Souk Al Khilmis and Bilboon Hill, there have been sightings H lower slopes and rock faces of the mountains facing the Red of all the species listed ilt Jabill Bura, as well as gnzelles. Tl Seil. Gazelles, easily hunted by four-wheel-drive vehicles in tel open country, have declined in number, although a few still WADIHAFASH Tl exist on esca rpments. The leo pard hils illso survived in Ano ther good ilreil, but a tough route requiring a four­ wi remote areas. wheel-drive vehicle a nd an experienced driver, is the wadi nc Many small plants of interest grow in Yemen. The Rub known locally as H afash, which is listed under several Wi names on maps - including Wadi Malian and Wadi Silra. al-Khali dese rt blooms after rain, acacia trees and prickly m, pear cactus becoming a blaze of colour when in fl ower. The Exte ndin g from Kha mis Bani Silild on the H od eidil­ [0 smaller euphorbias in scrub areas and the large candelabra Milnakha road, it crosses the Wadi Surdud (sometimes very euphorbias from the southern slopes of the Sumara Pass to deep water l ) meanders through a tropicill wildi for many stt Taiz are a fine sight when in flower, as is the white lily miles and then climbs steeply o ut and up to Mahwit. co (Cril1uln yemense); but the plant that really stands out is the Heavily cultiva ted in its lower regions, Wadi Hafash is th, desert rose (Adeniu1Jl obesum). Unfortunately trees are rare in teeming with birdJife. I have seen two metre long dark

46 Volume 2, Number 2 Va Arabian Wildlife Yemen

brown snakes, lots of weaver birds, Hamerkops and Grey­ jumping around 11eaded Kingfishers as weJJ as troops of bamad ryas baboons over on the high on the lower slopes as the track climbs out towards Mahwit. cliffs. The lower part This wadi is regularly used as a main vehicle route, but you of the Wadi Surdud, must always be prepared fo r a fla sh flood . Plenty of birdlife e ither side of is visible illong the road from Mahwit to Tawilla ilnd on to Khamis Bani Saad, Schibam/ Kawkaban, including eagles, ril vens, vultures ilnd has water all year Tristrams Grackle. The road is currently being widened and round, supporting ilsphalted, so one could get back to Sana'a in a very long banana and papaya day; but Wildi Hafash itself is a hard drive. plantations, ideal places for bird­ SHAHARA MOUNTAIN watching Another difficult drive is the route to Shahara Mountain and its famous dry stone bridge. The Wadi Wa'aar below OTHER Shahara is hot, humid, scrub country populated by hornbills INTERESTING and Rock Partridge, whilst the rou te up to Shahara (not for AREAS the faint hearted l ) should bring s ig htings of Tristrams There are s pec­ Grackle, ravens and vultures One should travel with a tacular gorges guide in this area. The famous bridge is only sunlit around betw ee n Bani 2 1100 a.m.-12. 00 noon each day. You can observe vultures Hosheish and the ) nesting from here. Fardah Pass, on the 5 new Sana'a - Marib '1 TAIZ road ilnd spec­ The best of the accessible areas near to accommodation are tacular gorge, mountain and sand dunes by th e new road Shahara Bridge. the Tiliz sewilge lagoons, where you can see many of the being constructed between Marib and Harib and on to birds that you would expect to see on the coast. The and Nuqub. The old Marib-Harib caravan route southern side of the Sumara Pass, illl the way down to Taiz crosses high sand dunes that continue east across the Rub y is famous for its birdlife and large euphorbia trees; the areas al-Khali. The new road from Al Bayda to Lawdar is also around Ibb and Jibla being particulady good. spectacular, descending ex tremely steeply. Hot springs ilnd crater lakes can be found all over the country. Spectacular WADIDHAR sand dunes stretch 40 km east of Habban, and mixed sand e Near to Sana'a, Wadi Dhilr has most local species of inland and volcaniC rock scenery from Bir Ali (ancient Qana) to Y birds, except v ultures; but pa rticularly interesting is the Mukalla. .1 mule track from Schibam up to Kawkilban. This 45 minute , in the G ulf of Aden, is now open to touris ts. h walk rises nearly 923 m , with Tris trams Grackle, larks, Because of its unique flora and fauna (see Arabian Wildlife, wheatears and doves in abundance at the bottom, eagles, Vol 2, No 1), a proposal to designate Socotra as a Biosphere n ra vens and vultures at the top. There is also a good vilriety Reserve is being prepared by UNESCO and Yemen's s of fl owering plants where water trickles through cracks in Environmental Protection Council. ;, the rock.lhe high plateau from Kawkaban, west to Wadi Hajjar, has some hyaena.The road from Amriln to Hajjar is a Jack Jackson spectacular series of twisting bend s dropping steeply y through dark, sombre mountains, down from high altitude e to tropical wadi and up again, with such a variety of terrain d there is life of all types. .s USEFUL ADDRESSES ;, MARIBDAM for Yemen The new dam at Marib has a large la ke that is attracting Derek Harvey, Yemen Ornithological Sodety Coordinator, c/o Clyde Petroleum, PO Box 16133, Sana'a, RepubliC of Yemen. mo re and more bird life, there is even a recent claim that TIre DiscovenJ Gllide to Yell/ell, by Chris Bradley, published by Immel Publishing Ltd, 20 cormorants have been sighted. If you venture down the Berkeley 51, London WlX 5 AE, which will be in the shops in the autumn, will be an Wadi Dhana w hen it is flowing, during the rainy season, indispensable guide for all visitors to Yemen. Local offices of Yernenia airline also provide an unofficial tourist information service. there are lots of birds. Make sure you have a Yemeni with o you, th e Bedouin people can be tetchy in this areil. The following tour companies operating out of 5.1na'a vary considerably Ul the standard n of service and quali ty of vehicles supplied: ;s Universal Travel and Tourism, 5.1if Bin Dhi Yazen Street, POBox 10473 5.1na'a. Tel 00 HARAZ MOUNTAINS 967127502 The Hara z Mountains around Manakha are spectacular YATA (Yemen Arab Tourism Agency), Airport Road, Street No 9, Sana'. (P 0 Box 1153),Tel: 967"1 224236; fax 9671 251597. Efhcient and willing. YATA run terraced mountains, with fortress villages on all high points. regu lar bird-vo/atching tours, mostly for German agencies. The people are friendly, so this is a great area for walking, Marib Travel and Tourism, Ali Abdul Maghni Street, PO Box 161, Sana'a. Tel 9671 with lots of high altitude birds and flowers. Heavy cloud, if 272435 ii AI Mamoon Travel and Tourism Agency, AI Zubairy Street, POBox 10127, Sana'a. Tel not rain, descends every afternoon, so aim to complete any d %7179261 walk by 2. 00 p.m. and carry waterproofs. These are the Arabia Felix Tour and Travel Agency, AI Zubairy Street, POBox 1566, Sana'a. Tel 9671 l. mountains that descend to Jabal Bura and Jabal Rima, en­ 275007 1­ Arabian Horizons, AI Qasr St reet, POBox 8665, Sana'a. Tel %71 2754l4; fax 9671 275415 route to the Tihama. y Bazara Travel and Tourism, Al Zub.iry Street, POBox 2616 Sana'a. Tel %71205865; fax The main road from Manakha to Khamis Bani Saad drops %71209568 Yemen Tourist and Travel Agency, AI Qasr Street, POBox 1108, San'a. Tel 9671 272914. Y steeply, twisting through several, narrow rock gorges, t. General Tourism Corporation, POBox 129 Sana'a. Tel 9671 73935 containing the Wadi Surdud. If you pass through these in Yemen Tourism Company, 6S Hadda St, POBox 1526. Tel 9761 240372; fax 9671 244222 is the late afternoon, troops of hamadryas baboons will be Yemen Tourism Company, 65 Hadda St, POBox 1526. Tel: 9671 240372; fax: 9671 244222 k

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