CYBERSPACE WAS BUZZING in late May, sadly too late for me to make my June column deadline, as enraged e-mails were exchanged amongst all those concerned with the conservation of wildlife in Egypt and the preservation of the nation’s natural heritage.

The reason? An outrageous open-air ‘party’ held with at least the tacit permission of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) in one of its very own protectorates, if they can any longer be described as such: the Wadi Degla Protectorate outside Maadi. Alerted once more by the ever-vigilant Gabriel Mikhail (who raised the alarm, reported in Egypt Today last December, over the Petrified Forest Protected Area), we learned just how the EEAA is protecting those areas in its charge.

On Friday, May 12, After Eight, a Downtown club, organized the event involving, according to reports, “several hundred people, more than a dozen bodyguards” — for the gazelles perhaps? — “pickup trucks, more than 20 buses, power generators and everywhere, DJs, loud music.”

Those first-hand reports were accompanied by photographs of the carnage. One witness, walking there the next day, wrote in that she, too, “saw the devastating [sic] remains and was appalled.”

Unfortunately, word only got around after the event, though when I mentioned this to a colleague at work, it turned out that she had received an electronic invitation from After Eight on May 8.

“Starts at 6pm and ends when it ends,” proclaimed the invite. Guests were promised the musical charms of “the renowned” DJ Ouzo, brought in from Sharm, and “the famous” DJ Mash. The only concession to any environmental message was a declaration that Wadi Degla is a “Protectarate” [sic]: “have fun and keep it clean.” The final exhortation clearly went unheeded.

Just what was the EEAA thinking? I was involved in a very small way in the campaign to designate the wadi with protected area status as recently as 1999. At the time, the significance of the wadi as an area of great natural beauty and a haven for a cross-section of Egypt’s desert flora and fauna was stressed. Its importance as a recreational resource was also emphasized, but the recreation meant hiking, biking, birdwatching, communing with nature.

Nobody in their wildest nightmares imagined all-night raves! Its value as an educational area was also made clear: A number of clubs, schools, colleges and universities make use of it as a fabulous outdoor laboratory in which to hone identification skills, learn about the desert ecosystem and carry out research.

Exactly how the latest travesty fits into this greater picture, goodness only knows. Perhaps most annoying is that I have been involved with a number of cleanups in the wadi. It is one thing to pick up the airborne plastic detritus blown in from the city. It is quite another to expect people to spend their free time collecting the accumulated empties of assorted Al-Ahram Beverages (it was listed as the official sponsor of the event).

Perhaps DJs Ouzo and Mash would like to volunteer for the task?

Just how special Wadi Degla is was really brought home to me the other day, when I received what can only be described as an ecstatic text message from a friend visiting the wadi. “Out in Wadi Degla today and came across what I believe to be 5 Nubian Ibex. 1 male with full beard, 2 females and 2 young. All had distinct black-white feet. Crazy?”

Certainly not, though I am extremely envious! This was one of the species that helped earn the wadi protected status. It also has seemingly healthy Red Fox and Cape Hare populations.

While the very fortunate might catch the Nubian Ibex, it is probably the Cape Hare that is the most frequently seen mammal in the wadi. Rabbits and hares are superficially rodent-like, but in fact belong to a totally unrelated group: the Lagomorphs. While the Lagomorphs share the prominent incisors typical of the rodents, their upper incisors are paired, a nonfunctional pair erupting behind the main pair. Unlike many Egyptian mammals, the Cape Hare’s huge ears act not just as hearing organs, but also regulate temperature fluctuation.

Contrary to popular belief, Cape Hares don’t normally live in burrows, but excavate a shallow depression in the desert floor known as a form. They range widely, having been recorded from the northern stretches of the Western Desert, including Siwa; the Eastern Desert, including the shores of Lake Nasser and Gabal Elba; and much of Sinai. Four races or subspecies have been described from Egypt.

The wadi’s birds include many of those typical of the Eastern Desert. Flocks of Trumpeter Finches, males in pink with crimson bills, work their way along the wadi floor. White-crowned Black Wheatears seem to call from every other boulder while the similar but much less common Hooded Wheatear probably also breeds in the protectorate. Sand Partridges should be looked for on the desert scree, scuttling off in family parties, and Eagle Owls nest and roost in some of the cavities and caves that riddle the wadi walls. In winter Blue Rock Thrushes can be expected on the crags.

One of my most memorable incidents came after I was alerted by a group of young White-crowned Black Wheatears behaving very oddly, calling incessantly, flitting up and down — clearly very agitated. The cause of their unrest was made apparent after a little searching: a magnificent Horned Viper that, disturbed by us, rubbed its roughened flanks together, producing an intimidating rasp.

How many ravers were aware these venomous creatures were around?

If any positive can be taken from this event (the ‘party,’ not the viper), it is the number of people who were concerned about what happened and a real determination that it should not happen again. Those responsible must be held accountable for their actions: Dr. Mostafa Fouda, head of the protected areas, has made an apology to all those concerned, but it is widely acknowledged that the highly respected Fouda was not immediately responsible for what happened. Indeed, he has promised a thorough investigation. What is important is that members of the environmental community be more proactive in the future and alert themselves to these events before they happen.

Perhaps joining the After Eight mailing list might be a good start?

July is a quiet month on the natural history front. The spring migration is over and fall won’t really get underway until the middle of next month. Many species will already have bred and everything seems happy to be as inactive as possible through the hottest part of the summer.

One bird worth keeping an eye out for is the Great Grey Shrike. There need be no skulking around in undergrowth to spot the Great Grey Shrike: It perches right out in the open, often on an exposed branch, ready to swoop down on its insect or small vertebrate prey. And it’s a stunner: a handsome black, white and grey bird with striking black bandit mask through the eye. Look for it especially on the desert margins of the valley and delta, but also in cultivated areas. This and other shrike species are also called ‘butcherbirds’ (no relative of the Ozzie birds of the same name) from their rather gruesome but very practical habit of impaling prey items on thorns for later consumption.

Known as a ‘larder,’ if thorns are not available, barbed wire will do just as well. Curiously, although this habit has been widely documented over the Great Grey Shrike’s huge range, spanning the Old and New Worlds, I have never found a shrike’s ‘larder’ in Egypt. Perhaps I’ll ask DJ Ouzo.  et

With acknowledgements to Dr. Sheryl Ducommon