Searching for addax in the desert in Niger in the dry season
8 AM and it's already 95°F. By midday it will be well over 110° and apart from the odd gazelle heading purposefully for shade, absolutely nothing else is moving. Surviving the long, dry, hot season calls for stamina and a not insignificant dose of guile and good sense. Needless to say, the only large mammals daft enough to be dashing about are our small party of biologists. There is method in our madness, though, and we are in Termit to study just how the wildlife copes.
Over the next 10 days we will travel more than 600 miles over rugged desert terrain to count wildlife and compare the results with similar missions carried out in other seasons. The big question is what do the addax do when it gets so hot? They can't burrow like many of the smaller mammals, there are no trees for shade in the desert, neither is there any water. Previous work suggests they leave the open desert and come closer to the mountains to find shade and greener vegetation. We have pinpointed a few strategically located shade trees for study, including setting up remote cameras to record any wildlife activity around them.
Burrows
Heading out into the sands, the dunes are studded with the neat little footprints of gazelles passing from plant to plant for a look and a nibble. Where there are large clumps of tussock grass, they have dug out substantial cool burrows in which to shelter. Disturbed from his siesta, one gazelle shot frantically from a deep crevice in a rock wall barely big enough to squeeze through.
Although incredibly hot, we are 'lucky' to have fabulous visibility and as the trip progresses we pick up addax tracks in the heart of the desert. Each time we note they are associated with areas of green shoots of the spiky tussock grass. No green shoots, no addax. We eventually spot a couple of small herds grazing on the tussocks. The addax appear to be in great shape but there are not many of them. Where are the others?
3000 images
Navigating along the zone between sandy desert and mountain range the question is quickly answered as we find five separate herds, all ensconced under shady trees with easy escape routes to the open dunes. Even better, our remote camera has come up trumps and we have over 3,000 images of sheltering addax! Spending most of the daylight hours in the shade, addax feed and move mainly at night, conserving precious energy and water to deal with the hot season. Gradually the picture is falling into place; one that will help us conserve this incredible animal and identify those habitats that are critical to its survival.
Courtesy of the Sahara Conservation Fund
Addax caught on cameratrap in niger
