SADAH: Oman’s environment boasts a multitude of biodiversity and the wild animals are given a great attention inside their natural habitats that are home to many endangered animals such as the Arabian gazelle which exists in Dhofar Governorate particularly in the area between the wilayats of Sadah and Mirbat.
Omani citizen Said bin Maatouq al Shahri stumbled upon a female fawn whose mother had fallen prey to a predator 8 years ago in Sadah wilderness. Motivated by a sense of personal responsibility to protect the endangered animal, Al Shahri took the small gazelle home and raised it.
Talking to Oman News Agency (ONA), Al Shahri said that he found the small gazelle in bad health condition and he took care of it and requested the directorate of environment in Dhofar to allow him to keep the gazelle.
Two years later, Al Shahri found another baby gazelle and he took it home, too. The couple reproduced, forming a family of gazelles under his tender care.
Al Shahri said that what he does has a humanitarian dimension beside being a contribution to the government’s efforts to preserve endangered animals. He added that he plans to increase his group of Arabian gazelles to the maximum number possible and eventually release them into their natural habitats. — ONA
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