Watch: Rare Fox Species Spotted in Abu Dhabi

Environment Agency Abu Dhabi in the UAE captured a of video the rare Blandford’s fox trotting on a rocky mountain through a camera trap set.

This was the third time the fox species was seen in the past 22 years in the UAE on Jebel Hafeet. The fox was seen in 1999 for the first time and March 2019 the second time.

Al Ain mountain, in the east of Abu Dhabi emirate seems to be the spot where the fox was spotted for all 3 times.

 

 

 

 

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Blanford's fox, is a rare species native to the Middle East and Central Asia which was named after the English naturalist William Thomas Blanford, who first described the animal in 1877.

“The animal is elusive and rarely recorded in camera traps, so is a very difficult species to locate and study,” said Rashed Mohamed Al Zaabi, a scientist at the EAD’s terrestrial and marine biodiversity sector.

Other fox species found in the emirate include the Arabian red fox (Vulpes vulpes arabica) and Ruppell’s fox (Vulpes rueppellii).

Images Credit: Environment Agency Abu Dhabi