Arabitragus jayakari | UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial
Asessment status in full
Critically endangered
Assessment status abreviation
CR
Assessment status criteria
D
Assessment rationale/justification
The Arabian Tahr is endemic to the Hajar Mountains and Jebel Hafeet of Oman and UAE. The species is assessed as Critically Endangered (CR D) because the total population is suspected to be well below 50 mature individuals. The two remaining subpopulations number 10-12 and are completely isolated from each other, and none have been reported from a third location since 2012. The extent of border fencing means that there is no significant rescue effect. Conservation actions are required for this species, including the implementation of the National Conservation Strategy.
Assessment year
2018
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
Government
IGO
Assessor affiliation specific
Government|IGO
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. iv + 32pp pp. And IUCN. 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
URL (link) of redlist assessment or publication
https://www.moccae.gov.ae/assets/download/b352eff1/UNRL%20of%20Mammals%20-%20Report%202019.pdf.aspx?view=true
Endemic to region
No
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: No
Endemism specifics: Near endemic (endemic to Hajar mountains of UAE and Oman)
Endemism specifics: Near endemic (endemic to Hajar mountains of UAE and Oman)
Threats listed in assessment
Arabian Tahr is a protected species in UAE (Article 12 of Federal Law No. (24) of 1999), but hunting remains a popular activity. The mountainous terrain that tahr inhabit makes effective patrolling difficult, but trained rangers and regular patrolling are needed to protect remaining tahr and any released animals. Overgrazing by domestic livestock reduces the quantity and quality of forage available, and therefore the number of tahr and other species that an area can support. Feral goats and donkeys are also present in many parts of the mountains, adding to the problem, and possibly also outcompeting tahr, obliging them to utilise areas with less suitable grazing, although donkeys are less likely to be found in the steep terrain preferred by Arabian Tahr. In some areas of prime habitat, there has been a steady increase in domestic livestock numbers, and new road networks make it easy to transport livestock to new pasture or to bring in supplementary food and water. The expanding network of graded secondary roads also fragments suitable habitat. In times of severe drought, Arabian Tahr have been found in poor condition. Conditions in the mountains in recent years appear to be becoming drier and hotter, with impacts on vegetation and availability of water. As tahr populations become smaller and more isolated, the movement of individuals between them is increasingly difficult, resulting in reduced genetic variation. Feral dogs have been seen chasing tahr on Jebel Hafeet (Al Bustan Zoological Centre and Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi 2015). Fencing of reserves and other areas in the Hajar Mountains impedes movement of animals between subpopulations and increases the negative effects of fragmentation. Escapes or releases around Jebel Hafeet, including in Wadi Tarabat, of exotic ungulates (Nubian Ibex Capra nubiana, Barbary Sheep Ammotragus lervia and Wild Sheep Ovis orientalis), which are much larger than tahr, represent potentially serious competition. Several diseases and other health issues have been reported in captive tahr populations. Infectious diseases include pasteurellosis, clostridium, E. colii, echinococcus, para-TB, PPT, FMD, (animals are routinely vaccinated against these); coccidiosis, upper respiratory tract diseases, purulent bacterial pneumonia, and malignant catarrhal fever. Non-infectious diseases include: dystocia, indigestion, chronic acidosis, capture myopathy and stress, hematoma, and abomasal obstruction. Husbandry issues include fighting among males and among females leading to injury or even death; other accidents/trauma and genetic problems related to small founder sizes (Al Bustan Zoological Centre and Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi 2015).
Conservation Measures
Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:
History
The backcasted 1996 assessment for this species is Critically Endangered under criterion C2a(i) which matches the listing given by Hornby (1996). While there would have been more movement of animals between the UAE and Oman in 1996, this would not have been a significant rescue effect because of the declining population in Oman at the time plus the growing hunting pressures in the UAE.