Muscat – Camera traps have captured images of endangered Afghan fox for the first time in Dhahirah, according to the Environment Authority (EA).

Yasser al Hinai, head of the Environment Monitoring Department in the governorate, informed that the sighting disproved an earlier assumption that the Afghan fox doesn’t exist in Dhahirah. The photographic documentation also proves the rich diversity of wildlife in the sultanate.

“Camera traps installed in various regions of Dhahirah have documented several types of wild animals, including Arabian deer, ibex, lynx, sand fox and mountain fox, in addition to some rare and migratory birds,” said Mohammed Rashid Khalfan al Balushi, Environment Inspector in the Environmental Conservation Department of the Directorate of the Environment Authority in Dhahirah.

According to Balushi, the hidden camera traps installed in rugged and mountainous areas have smart sensors that monitor animal movements in the dark, facilitating the work of the environment management team in collecting data of wildlife in various wilayats of the governorate.

Elaborating on the data collection mechanism, Maryam al Yaqoubiyah, another environment inspector of the department, said after the images are retrieved from the cameras, these are sorted and analysed depending on the location from where these were collected and submitted to the EA for compilation in its database in order to serve projects and plans to protect wildlife in the sultanate.

She added that camera traps contribute significantly to accurately monitoring wildlife to ensure implementation of policies for their protection.