eNewsletter February 2011
In this issue
Love is in the air this month at Desert Islands! We are currently smitten by the Conservation team’s fantastic new camera trap, which has been a busy capturing incredible images of some of the island’s most elusive residents. In other news, we have been showering our cheetah cub with extra affection in celebration of his 1st birthday – from a distance of course! Meanwhile, a record number of island employees have been showing a lot of interest for our up-skilling and literacy programmes. Why not join in with the fun and share the love this month by spoiling someone special with a Valentine’s Day package from the Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara.
Cheetah Cub’s 1st Birthday
The Desert Islands’ first ever cheetah cub celebrated his birthday this week with a thrilling hunt, before settling atop his favourite peak to enjoy some breakfast.
The cub’s historic birth a year ago was a major milestone in the Desert Islands conservation breeding programme for this vulnerable species. It was the first litter of cheetah to be born in the wild in the UAE in more than 38 years, which is a very impressive feat.
Desert Islands Researcher, Aimee Cokayne, who has observed almost every step taken by the cub since his birth says: “The cheetah is healthy, active and hunting well, and at one year of age, he is around 70% grown. Cheetah cubs reach sexual maturity at 20 to 23 months, so he is still not ready to join the Desert Islands breeding programme, however, it is hoped that he will participate in the future.”
With the birth of two hyena litters and one caracal litter, the breeding programme has overall produced four cheetah cubs, two caracals and four hyena cubs since their parents were imported from breeding centers in Sharjah and Dubai.
Cheetahs were once found on the Arabian Peninsula, however, they were hunted to extinction more than 38 years ago. The cub’s mother joined the Desert Islands breeding programme after completing the required quarantine and re-wilding periods on the island.
The northern subspecies cheetah has a very small genetic pool, which is why the work of the Desert Islands team, in conjunction with the various cheetah breeding centers around the world, is so important. “Breeding these animals successfully together with other organisations participating in the Northern Cheetah breeding programme ensures that we keep as diverse a genetic pool as possible with the limited number of animals at our disposal,” says Conservation and Agriculture Manager, Marius Prinsloo. “Accurate recordkeeping of all of our animals is an absolute necessity if we want to ensure genetically diverse breeding programmes.”
“We also support the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi to help repopulate the wilderness of the emirate with other extinct species, such as the Arabian Oryx. A number of our healthy herd were relocated to the Liwa Desert three years ago, and we have entered our Arabian Oryx into the Arabian Oryx studbook, which is kept by the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency. We will participate in the UAE breeding programmes by providing animals from our herd, and we will also be receiving new animals from other collections from within the country in the near future.”
Marius explains that the Desert Islands breeding programme for cheetahs, hyenas, caracals and the Arabian Oryx, are just a few of many currently underway on Sir Bani Yas Island. As a team, we strive to communicate our successes to the conservation community at large, as well as the many visitors to the island. It is important for us to use our achievements to help raise awareness with the people of the UAE about the threats these animals face in the wild, and to inspire the community to support their protection against hunting and habitat destruction.
Ultimate Valentine’s Escape
Celebrate Valentine’s Day by treating someone special to the two-day ‘Ultimate Valentine’s Escape’ at the Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara.
Take advantage of this offer from 10th-18th February, with rates starting at AED 3,900 for a two-night stay. This includes a sensual six course set dinner by sultry poolside lighting at the beachside restaurant Samak, where you will sample the finest imported steaks and the world’s most succulent seafood. Finish with strawberry chocolate delights to complete your special dinner. The package also includes a sumptuous breakfast buffet, complimentary transfers from the mainland, two nights stay in a room of your choice, and a beautiful flower gift, which is certain to please the ladies.
Snapped in Secret!
A secret camera has captured amazing footage of Desert Islands most elusive residents as they go about their everyday activities.
The beautiful images were captured when a Desert Islands Conservation Researcher, Aimee Cokayne trialled a new camera trap – a small box containing a camera, infrared flash, and a motion detector that is triggered by movement. Once motion is detected, a photo is taken and stored on a memory stick within the camera.
The first images that were snapped featured one of the most curious and smartest inhabitants of Desert Islands, the female Striped Hyena, along with her youngest hyena cub. Known for her keen intelligence and excellent mothering skills, she wasted no time investigating the new equipment to ensure that it posed no threat to her young family.
Camera traps are important devices, as they allow researchers to monitor elusive or nocturnal animals without the animals knowing they are being observed. This allows natural behavior to be monitored without inducing stress, and the capture of valuable images that might never usually be seen by humans. This method of data capture has lead to some very interesting discoveries on other conservation projects and surveys around the world, especially in environments that are difficult to monitor, such as deserts.
On Sir Bani Yas Island, the camera traps were first installed at the Striped Hyena den to investigate the interactions between the hyena cubs, their parents and their siblings. Den behavior in Striped Hyenas is not well documented, as in the wild these animals are very timid, and therefore difficult to study.
Many small indigenous species, such as bats, are nocturnal, so increasing the number of camera traps around Sir Bani Yas Island will provide an interesting, new perspective on a host of animals and their lifestyles. The cameras have an infrared light that does not disturb animals, so they can also take images at night.
More camera traps will be placed around Sir Bani Yas Island in the coming months to help us unveil the lifestyle habits of more animals.
Education Classes Create Future Opportunities
Sir Bani Yas Island is home to a small school that offers a series of literacy classes to workers who wish to boost their skills.
These free classes, which are held five days a week, are specially tailored for construction and conservation workers, and focus on English writing and speaking. They help the students to communicate better with their colleagues in the workplace, which in turn improves their performance and future employment opportunities. These classes also teach students the importance of preserving the environment.
For the past 1.5 years, Pundarik Ghimire, a multilingual Nepalese teacher, has taught at the school, under the supervision of the Conservation and Learning and Development departments at TDIC.
“The students appreciate having the opportunity to improve their skills,” says Pundarik. “After only a couple of classes, you can see they have a lot more confidence in themselves, and this allows them to do a better job at work.”
Students attending these classes include Nepalese, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi staff.
Desert Islands Guides Conquer the Mountain Biking at Dibba
Desert Islands staff, Sonnica and Clayton, excelled in a gruelling mountain biking race in Dibba in January.
The Guide and Activities Coordinator, both known for their excellent endurance skills and love of outdoor activities, tackled the punishing race that is famous for its 35km ascending mountain climb, like true professionals.
The duo did the Desert Islands tourism team proud. Clayton came overall 6th, whilst Sonnica came 3rd in the women’s category, and 14th overall.
Clayton said of the race: “The highlight was probably getting to take our time going back down the mountain once we’d ridden up. The amazing scenery made me realise how much I miss big mountains. However, let me assure you."
The Desert Islands tourism team is known for their expertise and love for outdoor activities both during their work at Sir Bani Yas Island, and during their leisure time. Guests to Sir Bani Yas Island who participate in activities will enjoy their unfailing enthusiasm and expert instruction, as they showcase the best of the island to guests from many different perspectives.