Showing papers in "Oryx in 1968"

The Wildlife of Ethiopia

Abstract: Still relatively rich in the larger African mammals despite the destruction of recent years, Ethiopia is tackling wildlife conservation problems in earnest. In 1965 the Imperial Government set up a Wildlife Conservation Department, and appointed John Blower as Senior Game Warden and adviser on wildlife conservation. Several national parks are now scheduled, and it is hoped that the first, the Awash National Park, will soon be officially opened by the Emperor. This is in the very rich Awash Valley to the east of Addis Ababa, where a wide range of animals includes greater and lesser kudu, beisa oryx, gerenuk, klipspringer, leopard, lion, cheetah, a few Swayne's hartebeest, now on the verge of extinction, and many birds. Two other proposed national parks, in the Siinien Mountains and the Bale Mountains, will protect Ethiopia's four endemic mammals, the rare walia ibex, the Simien fox, gelada baboon and the mountain nyala. A map of Ethiopia is on pages 284–5

Endemic Birds of the Seychelles

Abstract: 1. The populations of the endemic avifauna of Seychelles have declined in numbers, some very seriously, during the last hundred years. Only those in danger of extinction are discussed here.2. The magpie robin population is reduced to a score of birds; the population will soon be extinct unless drastic action is taken.3. The population of the paradise flycatcher is reduced to about 30 birds; conservation must take the form of propaganda, especially since the population is in danger of being reduced still further by the economic development of La Digue.

The Manatee in British Honduras

Abstract: The West Indian manatee Trichechus manatus manatus has declined rapidly in many parts of its range and appears on the IUCN's list of endangered species. But in British Honduras last summer the author found an abundance of manatees all along the coast. Moreover, predation is at a minimum: the people who formerly ate manatee meat now show little interest in it, and the alligator, its only other predator, has been persecuted almost to extinction.

Wildlife in an Ethiopian Valley

Abstract: On several flights and safaris in the lower Omo River valley the authors and others recorded the numbers of larger mammals they saw. The results showed no regular general migration pattern, although certain species showed trends, notably eland, zebra, elephant and Lelwel–s hartebeest which moved into the area after the rains and out again when the grass died. Dr Urban is working in the Department of Biology in the Haile Sellassie I University in Addis Ababa. Leslie Brown, well known Kenya naturalist, is a UNESCO wildlife consultant.

Habitat Stress and Arterial Disease in Elephants

Abstract: Elephant management in East African reserves and national parks has become one of the urgent conservation problems of today. In this study of the African savanna elephant, Dr Sikes shows that two diseases of the heart and arteries, found only in lowland elephants, were directly associated with the degeneration of the habitat when elephant numbers began to build up in the Tsavo National Park in Kenya and the Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National Parks in Uganda. The two diseases thus appear to be natural factors tending to limit the elephant populations in these reserves, and she suggests four lessons to be drawn from this discovery by those concerned with elephant management in national parks.

The Golden Langur and the Manas Sanctuaries

Abstract: The PDF is reproduced with permission from the CD version of The Centenary Archive 1903-2003, a fully searchable database of 100 years of the publications of Fauna and Flora International More information on: http://wwwfauna-floraorg/ The Society was founded in 1903 as the Society for the Preservation of the Wild Fauna of the Empire, and subsequently named the Fauna and Flora Preservation Society Fauna & Flora International is conserving the planet’s threatened species and ecosystems – with the people and communities who depend on them

Nile Crocodile Faces Extinction in Uganda

Abstract: Dr Cott's report on the status of the Nile crocodile in Murchison Falls National Park, in Uganda, shows a most alarming situation, with poachers gaining the upper hand. At one place where crocodiles were once so numerous that at times it looked as if the whole beach were moving into the river there are now none at all. In the battle against the poachers it is urgent to equip the park rangers with two-way radio sets to replace the present system of signalling by fire (which also warns the poachers), and the FPS has agreed to provide these sets out of the FPS/WWF Revolving Fund (see page 319). Dr Cott's other recommendations include putting a stop to disturbance by tourist and other launches and the reduction of some predators.

The Large Mammals in Arabia

Abstract: In this brief review of the status and conservation needs of the larger mammals of the Arabian peninsula, Dr Harrison, author of the standard work on the subject (volume 2 will be reviewed in the next ORYX) finds the situation not entirely depressing. Arabian oryx still probably number several hundred. The species that are in some danger include genet, lynx, leopard, cheetah, tahr, goat, red sheep, dorcas gazelle, Persian fallow deer and roe deer.

Nature conservation in the Transvaal

Abstract: The PDF is reproduced with permission from the CD version of The Centenary Archive 1903-2003, a fully searchable database of 100 years of the publications of Fauna and Flora International. More information on: http://www.fauna-flora.org/ The Society was founded in 1903 as the Society for the Preservation of the Wild Fauna of the Empire, and subsequently named the Fauna and Flora Preservation Society. Fauna & Flora International is conserving the planet’s threatened species and ecosystems – with the people and communities who depend on them.

Przewalski Horses in the Wild

Abstract: The report by Dr Zoltan Kaszab of a sighting of Przewalski wild horses in Mongolia, published in Oryx, December 1966, has brought criticism of the identification. However, an expedition in the summer of 1967 sighted a mare with a yearling foal and found tracks of others. In this article Mr Ivor Montagu discusses the criticism of the 1966 sighting and Dr Kaszab's reply, and lists other sightings accepted by the Mongolian authorities.