Decline of the Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia) in Egypt during the 20th century: literature review and recent observations

Abstract

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Barbary sheep Ammotragus lervia was still present throughout the whole of Egypt except for the Sinai region. However, by the beginning of the 20th century it had disappeared from the Nile Delta region and from the Faiyum Oasis. In 1950 it was still present in the extreme south-east and in a small stretch of land in the Eastern Desert, and in half of the Western Desert. Today it is found only in the extreme south-east (Gebel Elba) and the extreme south-west (Gebel Uweinat and/or Gilf El Kebir) of the country. This sharp decrease in the distribution area of Ammotragus lervia is the result of intensive hunting by humans. The Barbary sheep of Gebel Elba now live in a region that has been designated a national park, which offers some protection. The Barbary sheep populations in the Uweinat/Gilf El Kebir area is in rapid decline, and it is now urgent that the Egyptian government enforce effective conservation measures to safeguard the last wild populations of Barbary sheep still present in its territory.

Deep mitochondrial DNA phylogeographic divergence in the threatened aoudad Ammotragus lervia (Bovidae, Caprini)

“…The species was formerly widespread in rugged and mountainous terrain from arid and semiarid regions to open forests in North Africa, but their range and population size have decreased dramatically due to hunting, poaching, habitat destruction, and competition with domestic livestock (Loggers et al, 1992;Kingdon, 1997;Shackleton, 1997). It has become extinct or endangered in many parts of its former distribution area (Cuzin, 1996;Manlius et al, 2003;Mimoun et al, 2017), so much so that it is considered a top conservation priority among caprines (Shackleton, 1997) and is currently listed as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Cassinello et al, 2008). Unlike the situation in its indigenous range, the aoudad has been successfully introduced for hunting into Spain (southeast mainland and island of La Palma in the Canary archipelago) and southwestern United States, where it has become invasive and a threat to local biodiversity (Gray and Simpson, 1980;Cassinello et al, 2004;Nogales et al, 2006;Acevedo et al, 2007).…”

Pleistocene and Holocene herbivore diets and palaeoenvironments in the Gebel Akhdar (Libya): Implications for past human populations

“…While A. lervia's natural range once extended across North Africa, today the species 251 is locally extinct in many areas of the continent and it is currently listed as vulnerable on the 252 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Manlius et al, 2003;Cassinello et al, 2008). 253…”