The Quest for the Arab Wolf
- Talal Al-Muizri:
- Documented four wolves, including three pups, along with three dens and snake shed skins
- A wolf approached a camera trap, pulled it away, and we found it 100 meters from its original location
The society stated that “the Arabian wolf is an integral part of the native wildlife of the Arabian Peninsula. Conserving it requires increasing knowledge of its behavior and distribution, mitigating the threats to its survival, and protecting the natural habitats it depends on.”
He added, “Before embarking on the journey, I contacted Khalid Al-Anzi, a resident of the city of Arar and a specialist in wolf monitoring and tracking, given his field experience and precise knowledge of the region’s terrain and animal movement patterns. After coordinating with him, I drove approximately 900 kilometers to reach Arar, where the actual search for wolves began.” He noted that “during the first few days, we relied on searching for tracks and reading movement patterns in mountainous and desert areas. Once we found clear tracks, we began following them until we reached several sites frequently visited by wolves, including their den areas.”
He pointed out that “several camera traps were set up at different locations, taking care to maintain an appropriate distance from the animals and avoid interfering with their natural behavior. After a period of waiting, the cameras began recording results, and we were able to obtain beautiful nighttime images of the Arabian wolf in its natural habitat.”
He emphasized that “among the most significant outcomes of the trip was the documentation of four wolves, three of which were pups, in addition to discovering a site atop one of the mountains containing three wolf dens. We also observed snake shed skins near these sites, along with numerous other tracks that helped us understand the wolves’ movement patterns within the area.”
Al-Muizri continued, “The most exciting moment of the journey occurred when one of the wolves approached a camera trap, pulled it from its position, and carried it away. Fortunately, another camera trap was set up nearby and managed to capture the moment the wolf took the camera. After searching for it, we found the camera about 100 meters from its original location, turning the incident into one of the most distinctive moments of the trip, especially since the wolf’s behavior toward the monitoring equipment was directly documented.”
