A Field Guide to the Mammals of Egypt. Richard Hoath
opening up of the deserts allows access to four-wheel drive vehicles that can be harmful in churning up the sand, destroying the vegetation, and exposing—thus killing off—dormant seeds, thus reducing future pasture. This has been of particular concern in parts of South Sinai.
Inland, the expansion of the cities into the desert areas and the building of new cities is threatening desert habitat. It was because of these threats that the Wadi Digla Protected Area was declared in 1999. The results of these urban encroachments can be seen along all the main roads leading out of Cairo. An interesting aspect of these urban encroachments is its apparent effect on the distribution of the Red Fox. This species seems to be expanding along the roads following the development into new areas where it seems to out-compete the desert Rüppell’s Sand Fox. In Osborn and Helmy (1980) the Red Fox was virtually unrecorded from Sinai. Today, it can be found as far south as the Ras Muhammad National Park.
In the Delta and Nile Valley, pollution from waste disposal and the use of toxic pesticides and herbicides has probably had an effect on the mammal fauna. This may not necessarily be negative in pure mammal terms (but certainly in ecological terms!). The documented decline in birds of prey such as the Black Kite Milvus migrans and the Black-shouldered Kite may well have resulted in an increase in the numbers of their prey species, such as the Cairo Spiny Mouse Acomys cahirinus and the Nile Kusu. In marine environments, especially the Red Sea extending up the Gulf of Suez, oil pollution may have an effect on marine mammals.
Just how rare many of Egypt’s mammals are is in many cases unclear since very little survey work has been done. Hence, although species like the Lesser White-toothed Shrew Crocidura suaveolens and the Pygmy Pipistrelle Pipistrellus ariel are known from very few Egyptian records, they may prove to be underrecorded rather than actually rare in Egypt. Others, such as the Sinai Leopard, are clearly very rare if indeed extant. Some idea of the status of certain mammal species can be discerned by whether it is listed in the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), to which Egypt is a signatory, or listed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). It should be noted that an international convention signed by Egypt becomes Egyptian law. CITES species are listed on one of three appendices, the first two of which are relevant to Egypt. Those on Appendix I include “all species threatened with extinction which are or may be threatened by trade.” Trade in these species is only “authorized in exceptional circumstances.” Appendix II lists all those species not currently threatened with extinction by trade but “may become so unless trade in specimens of such species is subject to strict regulation.” All Egyptian species listed on these two appendices are documented as so under status in the species description.
The IUCN listing catalogs the degree to which an animal, or plant, is endangered according to certain criteria. The following categories are used.
Extinct: Extinct or close to extinction.
Endangered: Near to extinction and likely to become extinct unless action is taken.
Vulnerable: Unless action is taken likely to move into the endangered category in the near future.
Indeterminate: Known to be in one of the three categories above but there is too little information to assign to a specific category.
Insufficiently Known: Thought to be in one of the above categories but there is too little known to assign to a specific category.
All taxa listed by the IUCN are published in their Red Data Books. Where an Egyptian mammal is listed under any of the above categories, this is documented under status in the species description. For a full discussion of the international and national legislation relevant to Egyptian wildlife, see Baha El Din (1999).
With so many pressures from every side, it would be easy to dismiss the chances of much of Egypt’s wildlife—and the mammals in particular—surviving very long. Tourism spreads with all its consequences, population grows, urban areas expand, and pollution multiplies. The scenario indeed looks bleak. Where there are laws or international treaties and agreements, enforcement is often lax. Public education is minimal and little is being done to change the preconceptions of people regarding wildlife. No one need look further than the desperate conditions and minimal educational attempts at the Giza Zoo to see that.
However, there are positive developments. In the past twenty years, at least twenty-seven National Parks/Protectorates have been declared. While many need far more financing and resources, others are performing their function of protecting the natural environment. While by no means trouble free, the Protectorates of South Sinai show what can be done—albeit with foreign funding, in this case by the EU. These areas have not only received extensive funding, but also extensive publicity. Ras Muhammad is not only a National Park, it is also world renowned as a dive site and an area of biodiversity of global importance. Sadly, many other such areas receive far less recognition and are open to abuse and violation.
It is of vital importance for a country that treasures its historical heritage so highly that its natural heritage is valued and protected with equal vigor. Whereas the pyramids of Giza, the tombs and temples of Thebes, and other historical sites up and down the Nile Valley receive great attention as part of Egypt’s historical legacy, the same cannot be said for its far, far older and more natural flora and fauna. Too much has been lost already as the coming pages will testify. It is sad to relate that many of the animals and birds held sacred by the ancients are now extinct in modern Egypt: the Sacred Baboon Papio hamadryas, the Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus, the Lion Panthera ho, the Crocodile (north of the High Dam), and the Hippopotamus. Yes, climate change has had a role, but one cannot simply ignore human agency.
What is lacking at the moment is a young generation coming forward to treasure what is left and to preserve it. Too often in the recent past there has been talk of captive breeding programs and re-release back into the wild. This is both very expensive and impractical. Captive breeding programs (for species such as the Barbary Sheep) can only work if there are sufficient areas of natural habitat for bred animals to be released back into, if sufficient resources are available, and if, on being released, the safety of the released animals can be assured. None of these guarantees currently exist. The future of what is left of Egypt’s mammals will be best assured by protecting what is left of those species in the wild and assuring the safety of what remains of their habitats. Anything else will be an irresponsible and expensive gamble.
This guide is designed to help the reader identify mammals seen in the field in Egypt. Sometimes this can be straightforward. A rabbit-like mammal with very long ears and a short, black-and-white patterned tail is clearly a Cape Hare Lepus capensis, while a goat-like mammal with knobby, back-curved horns and strikingly patterned limbs seen in the mountains of South Sinai can safely be identified as a Nubian Ibex Capra ibex, once the domestic goat is eliminated. However, very often things are not so clear-cut. Mammals are often very difficult to observe. They are often very shy and secretive, and while less than 3% of all bird species are nocturnal, making things relatively straightforward for the ornithologist (in Egypt, the percentage is 2.61%, using Goodman and Meininger [1989]), many mammal species, including most of the difficult-to-identify rodents and bats, are only active at night. And as most of the prey species are active by night, so are the predators.
The first step is to try and match the mammal seen to the plates, taking note of distinguishing features, prominent markings, and relative size. Each individual plate has all the species represented to scale, and actual size can be found by referring to the text. Proportions, particularly those of the tail, hind feet, and ears can all be of importance. The summarized text opposite each plate emphasizes the key identification points. Thus, a desert rodent bounding across the road at night on its hind legs, with a long, black and white tufted tail can be narrowed down to one of the jerboa species from the plate (Allactaga sp. or Jerboa spp.).
The second step is to check the ranges of the likely species