Show the picture above to shoppers in a mall in Abu Dhabi or Dubai and most wouldn’t have a clue that this striking bird is a UAE species, reckons Basil Roy, conservation officer at Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve.
Yet it is found almost daily at the reserve. The image below − of the paler Gulf sub-species − was captured there, taken by a remote camera near a waterhole, only 50km from Dubai’s gleaming towers.
Both photos show endangered lappet-faced vultures. The global population was previously estimated at slightly more than 9,000, with numbers – especially in its African heartland – crashing.
At almost a metre in length, with a three-metre wingspan, it is the largest bird of prey in the Emirates. (The slightly bigger cinereous vulture may dispute this but it’s a much rarer visitor.) But despite its conspicuous size and appearance, the lappet-faced vulture has a very low profile in the country.
“Apart from active birdwatchers and Emiratis who saw vultures growing up, I think the majority of the public in the UAE have no idea that there are lappet-faced vultures in the UAE,” says Mr Roy.
Species such as the dugong, the Arabian oryx, the houbara and green turtle rightly feature prominently in the Emirates' everyday: an Abu Dhabi aquarium star, its outline traced in light on the exterior wall; fibreglass models grazing along the capital’s Al Khaleej Al Arabi St; a swirling mural on a Yas Island building; an image on a supermarket's reusable bag.
Conspicuous by its absence is the lappet-faced vulture. Although extinct across most of the Middle East and North Africa region, it is still found in several Gulf countries.
Adding to its low profile, it is also an enigmatic presence at the reserve; no one’s exactly sure where many come from each day, or where they go.
The lappet-faced vulture has not been recorded nesting in the UAE since the early 1980s, though rumours persist it still raises chicks in remote areas – perhaps in Hatta, in the Hajar mountains. Some birds visiting the reserve are known to cross from Oman, others may be wanderers from Saudi Arabia.
Conservationists at the 225-square-kilometre reserve hope to solve these mysteries and raise the profile of the species through a GPS tracking programme. And ultimately, they hope to persuade the lappet-faced vulture to breed there.
Mr Roy says GPS trackers will “hopefully confirm our suspicions that our daily visitors are breeding and coming from the Hajar mountain range, and more specifically the Hatta region – only about 15km from the reserve”.
The birds descend on the reserve once the sun is high enough for thermals to carry them from their roosts, to dine on carcasses left out at feeding stations. Favourites are oryx and Arabian and sand gazelles that died of natural causes, while they turn their ample beaks up at many livestock carcasses – including such exotic fare as ostrich.
They drink, bathe and bask at waterholes, remote cameras capturing vultures plonked stomach-down on the sand, giant wings stretched out to dry. The birds head off before sundown.
At the end of 2023, conservationists set up a large cage in the centre of the reserve, with carcasses strewn around. The aim is to entice these wary birds into the cage and fit them with GPS trackers and other tags. It’s a long process, requiring a lot of patience, but is coming tantalisingly close to success.
“Right after the cage was set up, vultures were recorded roughly 60 metres from the cage. Today, vultures are recorded five to 10 metres from the cage,” says Mr Roy.
“Now, they are staying just outside the cage, flying right next to it. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see them going inside the cage by this summer, fingers crossed, in one to three months.”
Welfare of the birds is top priority, says Dr Panos Azmanis, specialist wildlife vet and member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Vulture Specialist Group and Wildlife Health Specialist Group.
The cage is specially designed for the species and a camera will verify the trapping so the team reaches it immediately to secure the birds in boxes. A remote-control door, a roof net and other adaptations will also feature, he says.
“The most important safety is the training and preparation of the team, as well as the supervision of the trapping by an experienced vet to provide first aid in case of injuries and safeguard the welfare of the birds until their release,” says Dr Azmanis, who is scientific lead on the project.
Mr Roy says the operation shouldn’t take more than one hour, with the capture planned for winter to avoid heat stress for birds and researchers alike.
Dr Azmanis says data from the project could solve the mysteries surrounding the lappet-faced vulture in the Emirates, and help in its conservation.
“We hope to learn the movements with UAE, if the bird is breeding in the Emirates and their overall ecology in the country. Moreover, we can assess disease and mortality and act quickly either to rescue a bird or perform a postmortem and identify the cause of death.
“With the movements of the birds, we will find which areas they visit, identify hot-spot risk areas and mitigate possible losses,” says Dr Azmanis.
Following on from the tagging programme will be an initiative to persuade the lappet-faced vulture to breed in the reserve.
Likely sites for artificial nesting platforms are some of DDCR's 12 acacia groves. Four of these are ancient, and for centuries provided shade for weary travellers journeying between the mountains and coast. Archaeologists have found traces of their stop-offs in pottery fragments, pendants, seashells, coral pieces and a spearhead.
If successful, the initiative would make the reserve even more important for the lappet-faced vulture, says Mr Roy, as it would “not only be an area where vultures feed, but also breed”. It could also help to create “a regional network where information is shared to help conservation efforts”.
Across the border, the Environment Society of Oman has its own lappet-faced vulture tagging projects − with partners such as International Avian Research and the Environment Authority of Oman − and runs raptor education programmes in the community.
ESO research and conservation manager Maia Sarrouf Willson welcomes the Dubai projects. “These initiatives help understand the birds' local and regional movements and their dependency on specific habitats. These habitats need to be protected to allow safe breeding and nesting spaces for the parents,” says Ms Sarrouf Willson.
“Additionally, tracking the birds paves the way for broader conservation efforts between countries.”
But if the project succeeds, where would fledged birds go? Driving along the perimeter fence of DDCR, the contrast is stark. Within the reserve’s boundaries' broom bush – or fire bush – in the north gives way to the rimth shrub in the south. Both offer shade and root systems that provide a home for rodents and reptiles (round entrances made by gerbils; slot-shaped openings excavated by desert monitors and Leptien’s spiny-tailed lizard).
Beyond the boundary, this rich – but fragile – ecosystem is replaced by a grazed landscape, dominated by Sodom’s apple shrubs and desert squash vines.
Human disturbance, loss of habitat and loss of food sources are among the biggest threats facing the lappet-faced vulture, which needs quiet, remote places to raise its chicks over six months. Is the DDCR team concerned that if they do manage to persuade lappet-faced vultures to breed, there will be no habitat for young birds beyond its perimeter?
“Looking at the proximity of the Hatta mountainous region to the DDCR and the reserve’s abundance of antelope and other food sources, at this stage there aren't any apparent concerns for fledged chicks,” says Mr Roy.
Dr Azmanis says this issue already exists, as “fledglings already roam large distances between the UAE and Oman”.
For the lappet-faced vulture to flourish in the Emirates, he says it is vital that residents know this spectacular bird is in their midst, and learn to celebrate and protect it.
“There is still a lot of need for special public awareness to highlight the importance of the lappet-faced vulture and its conservation in the UAE, and the Arabian Peninsula in general. Tagging and breeding will surely boost this awareness,” says Dr Azmanis.
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
Notable cricketers and political careers
- India: Kirti Azad, Navjot Sidhu and Gautam Gambhir (rumoured)
- Pakistan: Imran Khan and Shahid Afridi (rumoured)
- Sri Lanka: Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan (rumoured)
- Bangladesh (Mashrafe Mortaza)
%3Cp%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenationalnews.com%2Fbusiness%2Feconomy%2Fislamic-economy-consumer-spending-to-increase-45-to-3-2tn-by-2024-1.936583%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EGlobal%20Islamic%20economy%20to%20grow%203.1%25%20to%20touch%20%242.4%20trillion%20by%202024%3C%2Fa%3E%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenationalnews.com%2Fbusiness%2Feconomy%2Fuk-economy-plunges-into-worst-ever-recession-after-record-20-4-contraction-1.1062560%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EUK%20economy%20plunges%20into%20worst-ever%20recession%20after%20record%2020.4%25%20contraction%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenationalnews.com%2Fbusiness%2Feconomy%2Fislamic-economy-consumer-spending-to-increase-45-to-3-2tn-by-2024-1.936583%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EIslamic%20economy%20consumer%20spending%20to%20increase%2045%25%20to%20%243.2tn%20by%202024%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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The specs
Engine 60kwh FWD
Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power 204hp Torque 360Nm
Price, base / as tested Dh174,500
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 2
(Martial 30', McTominay 90 6')
Manchester City 0
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures:
Monday, 1st 50-over match
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match
ACC%20T20%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Championship
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ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- Margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars
- Energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- Infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes
- Many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts
INFO
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
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Bullet%20Train
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20Leitch%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Brad%20Pitt%2C%20Aaron%20Taylor-Johnson%2C%20Brian%20Tyree%20Henry%2C%20Sandra%20Bullock%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 4 liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous electric motors placed at each wheel
Battery: Rimac 120kWh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power: 1877bhp
Torque: 2300Nm
Price: Dh7,500,00
On sale: Now
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Know your cyber adversaries
Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.
Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.
Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.
Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.
Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.
Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.
Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.
Viruses: Infect applications in a system and replicate themselves as they go, just like their biological counterparts.
Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.
Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.
Ireland (15-1):
Ireland (15-1): Rob Kearney; Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Bundee Aki, Jacob Stockdale; Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray; Jack Conan, Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony; James Ryan, Quinn Roux; Tadhg Furlong, Rory Best (capt), Cian Healy
Replacements: Sean Cronin, Dave Kilcoyne, Andrew Porter, Ultan Dillane, Josh van der Flier, John Cooney, Joey Carbery, Jordan Larmour
Coach: Joe Schmidt (NZL)
Super heroes
Iron Man
Reduced risk of dementia
Alcohol consumption could be an issue
Hulk
Cardiac disease, stroke and dementia from high heart rate
Spider-Man
Agility reduces risk of falls
Increased risk of obesity and mental health issues
Black Panther
Vegetarian diet reduces obesity
Unknown risks of potion drinking
Black Widow
Childhood traumas increase risk of mental illnesses
Thor
He's a god
How%20champions%20are%20made
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The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
The bio
Academics: Phd in strategic management in University of Wales
Number one caps: His best-seller caps are in shades of grey, blue, black and yellow
Reading: Is immersed in books on colours to understand more about the usage of different shades
Sport: Started playing polo two years ago. Helps him relax, plus he enjoys the speed and focus
Cars: Loves exotic cars and currently drives a Bentley Bentayga
Holiday: Favourite travel destinations are London and St Tropez
Scorebox
Dubai Sports City Eagles 7 Bahrain 88
Eagles
Try: Penalty
Bahrain
Tries: Gibson 2, Morete 2, Bishop 2, Bell 2, Behan, Fameitau, Sanson, Roberts, Bennett, Radley
Cons: Radley 4, Whittingham 5
Profile of Whizkey
Date founded: 04 November 2017
Founders: Abdulaziz AlBlooshi and Harsh Hirani
Based: Dubai, UAE
Number of employees: 10
Sector: AI, software
Cashflow: Dh2.5 Million
Funding stage: Series A
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Top tips to avoid cyber fraud
Microsoft’s ‘hacker-in-chief’ David Weston, creator of the tech company’s Windows Red Team, advises simple steps to help people avoid falling victim to cyber fraud:
1. Always get the latest operating system on your smartphone or desktop, as it will have the latest innovations. An outdated OS can erode away all investments made in securing your device or system.
2. After installing the latest OS version, keep it patched; this means repairing system vulnerabilities which are discovered after the infrastructure components are released in the market. The vast majority of attacks are based on out of date components – there are missing patches.
3. Multi-factor authentication is required. Move away from passwords as fast as possible, particularly for anything financial. Cybercriminals are targeting money through compromising the users’ identity – his username and password. So, get on the next level of security using fingertips or facial recognition.
4. Move your personal as well as professional data to the cloud, which has advanced threat detection mechanisms and analytics to spot any attempt. Even if you are hit by some ransomware, the chances of restoring the stolen data are higher because everything is backed up.
5. Make the right hardware selection and always refresh it. We are in a time where a number of security improvement processes are reliant on new processors and chip sets that come with embedded security features. Buy a new personal computer with a trusted computing module that has fingerprint or biometric cameras as additional measures of protection.
Scoreline
Swansea 2
Grimes 20' (pen), Celina, 29'
Man City 3
Silva 69', Nordfeldt 78' (og), Aguero 88'
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
