Read here the fifth article of Sandscript 30th issue
The tele-anesthesia and chemical immobilization of wild antelopes that the Government of Chad, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) and Sahara Conservation strive to conserve falls under the responsibility of EAD veterinarians. The ultimate goal is to safely anesthetize individual animals from a distance to allow veterinarians and researchers to undertake the required procedures. read more
ABU DHABI — The Environment Agency — Abu Dhabi (EAD) announced that the first wild-born Addax calf (Addax nasomaculatus) was born recently in Chad.Within two days of the birth of the first calf, another was born. Both calves belong to a group of 15 Addax initially translocated from Abu Dhabi in November 2019 and released into the wild in Chad in January as part of EAD efforts to protect biodiversity locally and internationally.
In mid-January, the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi and the Government of Chad, with implementing partner the Sahara Conservation Fund, released 15 addax into central Chad. These addax were the first of their species to roam this part of Chad in more than 40 years. Shortly after release, the addax split into several groups. First, a solitary female separated from the 14 other animals, circling back to their release site. This addax has moved over 650 km in the weeks since release. By contrast, most (>70%) addax have moved at least 700 km over the same period.
Today, the reintroduced addax are in four different social groups. Eleven animals form the largest group, which has remained fairly settled some 20 km to the southwest and southeast of their release site. This group has also returned to the release site multiple times. The solitary, ‘close-to-home’ female remains alone, as does another solitary female that has roamed much more broadly, covering more than 950 km. Finally, a third pair of females has broken away, traveling west from their release site by roughly 30km. These addax have moved less than 600 km to date. They remain separated from the others.
These movements broadly echo the first release of oryx into the Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Game Reserve in 2016. The majority of oryx remained together, but several females split off, moving great distances across the landscape for the first months after release. With daytime temperatures in Chad already into the 40s°C, the team will continue to closely watch the addax to see how they cope.
Katherine Mertes
November 27, 2018. Oft times when we talk about endangered animals in Afrika at risk of extinction or being poached we think mostly of elephants and rhinos. This can be attributed to various factors including increased publicity around the increasing threats that rhinos and elephants face from poachers.
September 20, 2016. The addax could be mistaken for a ghostly mirage in the Sahara Desert. But this antelope is perfectly adapted to survive harsh conditions there. Now, it’s on the verge of extinction thanks to poaching and habitat loss.
May 5, 2016. Is this the end for the addax (Addax nasomaculatus)? The IUCN reported today that extensive surveys of addax habitat in Niger found just three of these critically endangered antelopes left in the wild. The last animals were located after a 700 kilometer ground search, huddled together in what the IUCN described as a “very nervous” group.
