U.A.E. Gazelles

Many of the species that were once relatively common in the UAE are now considered to be endangered or threatened due to habitat degradation and destruction caused over grazing and loss of vegetation cover.

It is a well know fact that there were once gazelles living in the UAE. Today, only captive populations exist in various institutions, zoos and private collections, but the total captive population status is unknown.

To highlight some of the endangered species, Emirates Post, for the first time, has issued souvenir sheets with serial numbers, in addition to a set of special stamps in four denominations, in coordination with the environment agency, Abu Dhabi.

Arabian tahr (Tahr)
Hemitragus jayakari

The medium-size Arabian tahr is endemic to the Hajar Mountains of the Sultanate of Oman and the UAE. It is listed by The World Conservation Union (IUCN) as endangered and is currently under extreme threat due to habitat loss and degradation. A small group of these species is bred in captivity on Abu Dhabi's Sir Bani Yas Island.

Al Raheem (Arabian sand gazelle)
Gazelle Subgutturosa marica

Arabian sand gazelles are the second largest of the antelopes that are found in the UAE. They are critically endangered in the wild but there have been occasional reports from Liwa of small groups of these beautiful creatures.


Arabian mountain gazelle (Dhabi)
Gazella gazelle cora

It is endemic to Arabia and the mountain and gravel plain areas of the UAE. Numbers of wild mountain gazelles have declined due to habitat loss and predation. However, large semi-wild herds live between Musafah and Al Dabb'iya peninsula area in Abu Dhabi. It is gazelle all the way to the blessed land that later came to be known as Abu Dhabi.

Arabian oryx (Al Maha)
Oryx leucoryx

It is extinct in the wild but due to the efforts of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, this species has been successfully captive bred in the UAE. It is one of the largest desert mammals and has great cultural and historical importance in the region.