Comments on: Oryx tale soup http://quitealone.com/2009/07/31/oryx-tale-soup/ "To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world" – Freya Stark Sat, 11 Feb 2012 07:02:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: slowtraveller http://quitealone.com/2009/07/31/oryx-tale-soup/#comment-63 Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:18:48 +0000 http://quitealone.com/?p=109#comment-63 Excellent analysis Matthew. Every animal is dependent upon, and an integral part of, a wider ecosystem, of which human beings are a part of – not apart from. The oryx will survive where and when the ecosystem and habitat are able support it. And when humans learn to stop behaving like they have a God-given right to create – or destroy -a whole species and their habitat. Since we humns messed up in the first place we now need to manage and protect the habitat, re-introduce the oryx – then leave well alone.

]]> By: Matthew Teller http://quitealone.com/2009/07/31/oryx-tale-soup/#comment-44 Sat, 01 Aug 2009 12:19:52 +0000 http://quitealone.com/?p=109#comment-44 Thanks for the comment! You might be right – but my point is not that this a negative story given a positive spin for cynical reasons. Rather, it’s a complicated story given an uncharacteristically shallow treatment. It’s a missed opportunity.

Sir Bani Yas has probably changed a lot since 7-8 yrs ago – the animals are no longer penned, but it is still far too small to hold its oryx comfortably. I’m interested how you got to SBY back then – wasn’t it off-limits?

Al-Azraq, though (think you mean Shaumari), is more or less the same – but be sure not to mix up the pens used to hold sick, frail or pregnant oryx with the larger herd that roams out in the reserve. Shaumari is a really tragic story, where, after 15 years of preparation and investment, Jordan was all ready to release oryx in 1990, but the first Gulf War led to a huge influx of Iraqi refugees bringing literally millions of sheep and goats. In a matter of months they ate Eastern Jordan down to the dust, making it impossible to go back to the release programme… so everything has been on hold ever since (and, with the habitat effectively now destroyed, it’s unlikely to change).

Jaaluni is all pens now… and armed anti-poaching patrols…

]]> By: ynotoman http://quitealone.com/2009/07/31/oryx-tale-soup/#comment-42 Sat, 01 Aug 2009 07:57:58 +0000 http://quitealone.com/?p=109#comment-42 Well could be to do with the ownership of the NewsPaper which covered the story.
I visited AlAzraq and Sir Bani Yas about 7 or 8 years ago they, along with Jalooni, used Pens to hold the Oryx – along the lines of Whipsnade Zoo . Not certain Whipsnade would ever get such effusive coverage

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