UAE: 3 rare Arabian spotted eagle owl babies hatch in Sharjah
In an exciting and delightful occurrence, three Arabian Spotted Eagle Owl chicks were born at the Kalba Birds of Prey Centre, which the Environment and Protected Areas Authority of Sharjah proclaimed.
This species - pertaining to populations that are sparse in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen - has its roots in Africa.
The center calls this event “marks a milestone” in the birds of prey captive breeding program which aims “to protect rare species from extinction and rehabilitate them in their natural environments.”
The first recorded sighting of this species of owl in the UAE was in 2003, when a donor from Dibba brought it to the Dubai Zoo, claiming it was from the Dibba mountains.
Initially, the staff did not give it much attention, but they eventually noticed it was unlike the other chicks of the Desert Eagle-Owl owl. He found them different from the other Desert Eagle-Owl chicks.
In the meantime, the World Wildlife Fund states that the Arabian Eagle Owl (Bubo africanus milesi), which belongs to the same family, was first found in the Hajar Mountains of Fujairah in 2017.
“Despite the hot and arid climate of the UAE, a `wide variety of resilient and fascinating species thrive in our deserts and mountain areas`,” claimed, at the time, Jacky Judas, Manager & Scientific Advisor of Terrestrial Biodiversity, EWS-WWF.
“The country’s rapid pace of development has become a tremendous threat to many of these creatures. because — and this is especially true at this moment — efforts in protecting critical habitats and ecosystems, as well as safeguarding vulnerable species inherent to rich UAE natural heritage, shall be intensified,” Jacky continued.
He went on: “If we could overlook such a large bird, up to 45cm tall and weighing 600 to 800g, until the turn of the 21st century, what other still undiscovered smaller creatures, or understudied groups of flora and fauna, might there be? We have no doubt that so much more is waiting to be discovered in the Hajar Mountains.”
Recent rare appearances
The Mediterranean gull was spotted at Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary in Dubai in August last year, for the first time in 28 years. In the last twenty five years, there have been only 15 reported sightings in the country which include nine in Abu Dhabi, four in Dubai and two in Sharjah.
The red-footed Booby was also seen this year in Abu Dhabi. The small and rare Booby-like bird is found on the coasts and islands of tropical areas, and is exceptionally rare to find in the Arabian Gulf due to lack of resident populations within the UAE.
Meanwhile in 2019, the Arabian Caracal (Caracal schmitzi) was spotted in Jebel Hafeet National Park in Al Ain. This medium-sized, sand-colored cat with characteristically elongated tufted black ears was last sighted in Abu Dhabi back in 1984.
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