Sebastian 'Seabass' Kennerknecht's Blog

Some of you knew that I recently (well, already a couple months ago) went to Oman, for those of you that did not, it was for the first stage of shooting for a film about Arabian Leopards, their plight, and the Omani researchers that are studying them. Terra Mater, an Austrian production company is funding the film, as well as ARTE, and the crew is made up of of people from all over the world. It was a great experience and I return with many more friends than I when I left.

Ironically, though most definitely not a coincidence, we were filming only a few miles from the Hawf Protected Area in Yemen, where I spent three months looking for Arabian Leopards. This time, we were in Oman, just across the border. The political situation is of course much safer, though as I have stated before, I was never in any danger in Yemen, mainly because I was so far east from all the trouble zones. Arabian Leopards have also been studied for a longer period of time here. In fact, this is the birthplace of research on these majestic creatures. Hadi Al Hakmani is the principal researcher for leopards in Oman having studied them for over twelve years; it was a true honor meeting him. His love for the animals and his work was inspiring and truly genuine. The same goes for Khalid, who has also been dedicating his life towards ensuring and bettering the conservation efforts for these critically endangered animals. Having gotten to spend time with both of them, and counting them as friends, made the trip worthwhile by itself.

Since this was the first trip, I’ll fill you in on more of the details after completion of the project, but for now a couple of pictures.

The Habitat:

Wadi landscape, Oman -- told you it looked like Yemen

The crew:

Ben Young - Sound/Camera

David Eden - Sound

Mike Birkhead - Director

Caroline Bridges and Mike Cuthbert - Both Camera

Zara McDonald (from Felidae Conservation Fund)- Presenter

What am I doing here again? (taken by Khalid who is quite the photographer)

Sebastian (Basti) Gruebl - Terra Mater

Khalid - Arabian Leopard Researcher

Hadi Al Hakmani - Arabian Leopard Researcher

Food:

We always ate really well, thanks to our cook, this was a feast of goat barbeque.

Wildlife:

Arabian Wolf - I kid you not, Khalid said he had a feeling we would see a wolf that day!

Arabian Leopard looking through bars, Sana'a Zoo, Sana'a, Yemen

As most of you remember, I went to Yemen to try and photograph the critically endangered Arabian Leopard. Sadly, there were no leopards in sight. Even more disappointing was the fact that we could not find any signs that they are still present in the area. My fieldwork in Hawf leads me to believe that the sighting of a leopard in June 2011 was possibly the last instance of leopards occupying the region. This proves that there is an even greater need for the protection of these amazing animals, as well as the ecosystems they occupy, than I had previously expected. Arabian Leopards are barely hanging on, their existence depends on us humans. The picture above exemplifies this exact point to me. Taken at Sana’a Zoo, in a cage filled with concrete and little space to hide, the beauty of this animal caught between the bars of its enclosure reminds us of how dire its situation is both in captivity and the wild. However, this zoo may soon be the only place in which Yemenis will be able to see Arabian Leopards. To help ensure the survival of its wild counterparts, 20% of all sales of this image will be donated to the Foundation for the Protection of the Arabian Leopard in Yemen. Since it’s an artist edition print, only 10 fine prints will be made of this image.

The country of Yemen has amazing natural areas, many of them undiscovered and most definitely under appreciated by the local as well as the international audience. Due to its geographical location, Yemen has many endemic plants while also supporting animals found in Africa as well as Asia. The survival of these species is a fragile one; if the country and its people continue to disregard the potential of these areas they may forever be lost.

A case study for this is the Hawf Protected Area at the border of Yemen and Oman. Due to an escarpment right next to the coast and the seasonal monsoons, a cloud forest persists at this location. Beyond the initial mountain range, the normal desert ecosystem of the area exists.

Cloud forest and escarpment, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Cloud forest, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Desert wadi (valley) system at sunset, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

In these habitats you can find endemic plant and animal species like Golden-winged Grosbeaks, South Arabian Wheatears, Tristam’s Starling, and Desert Rose Plants.

Golden-winged Grosbeak (Rhynchostruthus socotranus) male, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Tristram's Starling (Onychognathus tristramii) male, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

South Arabian Wheatear (Oenanthe lugentoides) male, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Desert Rose (Adenium obesum) plant at sunset, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Not to mention, the ocean is simply beautiful, warm, clear, and provides its own unique wildlife.

These ecosystems are under much pressure though, it seems like all the environmental issues one can throw at an environment are impacting these ones.

There is hunting pressure of predators, large ungulates, and small game. Increased roads provide better access to formerly inaccessible nature areas. Overgrazing by camels, cows, sheep, and goats leave less for native herbivores.  Logging of trees destroys the dense cover needed by many species. Finally, pollution, specifically trash that is thrown anywhere and everywhere, can cause direct effects on animals as well as simply making an area less attractive to tourists.

Hunter with Kaloshnikov, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Road dissecting forest, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Road and livestock paths on mountain side, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Livestock paths on mountain side, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Camel feeding on acacia, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Camel browsing on acacia, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Cows grazing, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Sheep grazing, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Clear cut area, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Trash in Hawf city, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

And the ecotourism potential in this area is huge. The people are willing to host foreigners and openly welcome them. The environment is gorgeous and provides a home for many endemic species as well as charismatic megafauna like Arabian Leopards, Striped Hyenas, Arabian Wolves, Honey Badgers!!!, Sea Turtles, and Dolphins.

This is why the work that David Stanton of the Foundation for the Protection of the Arabian Leopard in Yemen is doing is so important. By focusing on a large predator as the Arabian Leopard he ensures that if he is successful, the large scale habitat it needs to survive protects not only the cat, but all the species that call that environment their home as well. Coupling that with convincing the local people that tourist money is a whole lot more than they can get for selling a goat has the real potential of benefiting both the people and the wildlife there. Though it is an uphill battle, David is fighting it well and I personally think he is undertaking the correct steps to lead to a better Yemen for humans and animals alike. You can personally help out by donating to David’s foundation by contacting him at his email address contact@yemenileopard.org

David Stanton and Yousuf Mohageb giving workshop on the benefits of protecting the Arabian Leopard, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Though one can do as much reading about a place they have never visited before they embark, one never knows what it is truly like until they arrive. Enter military guards, anti-government soldiers, ‘ancient’ architecture, and a whole new set of smells. Arriving in Sana’a was truly a very unique experience for me. I didn’t have much time to explore as we left for the Arabian Leopard research area of the Hawf Protected Area the next day.

Stone buildings of Hawf city, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Camel walking across road in Hawf, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen - Yes, this is normal

Enter a small town, no soldiers, less guns, few cars, one restaurant, and again a whole new set of smells. Hawf is located right near the border of Yemen and Oman, right at the south eastern part of Yemen. The people are extremely friendly, welcoming, and giving. This area is not quite as conservatively Muslim as the more western parts of the country and much of the clothing is influenced by Oman.

Yemeni man wearing head scarf, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Sa'ad, our driver in Hawf, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Boys near mosque, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Though the ‘city’ of Hawf only consists of about 700 people, there is still a big difference between the people who spend most of their time there versus the Bedouins that live in the mountains. Since the city is located right on the water, fishing plays a large part in the culture. This includes

Ali, a local fisherman making fishing net, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Fisherman bringing fish to shore at sunset, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Selling fish at the market, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Fisherman tossing sardines for drying, to be used as Camel food, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Boy hooking worm for fishing from shore, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Boy fishing from shore, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

There, you can also find some of the more usual things in a small city.

Making bread in city, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Mechanic under car, Yemen

Grocery store and owners, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Appliance store, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

The Bedouin life however is much different. It is much more dependent on the surrounding environment as they move their encampments with the seasons. Daily life consists of making bread, feeding and watching camels, and of course drinking lots of tea.

Bedouin camp, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Older Bedouin, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Bedouin making bread, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Bedouin feeding Camel ground up sardines, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Bedouin making tea, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

In the end though, the Yemeni culture is deeply rooted in helping one another out and sharing time and belongings with each other. Friendships and familial relationships are the most important and anything and everything is done to maintain those bonds. When looking at this culture, independent from any other culture, the importance of community and selfishness becomes quite apparent.

Volunteers helping to pull boat ashore, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Dinner shared between friends, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Meghan Rosen from the Santa Cruz Sentinel and UCSC’s science communication program was nice and interested enough to write an article in the newspaper about my upcoming assignment to photograph the critically endangered Arabian Leopard in Yemen. Not only did she ask great question — our interview/conversation lasted about an hour and a half — but she also wrote a great and factual article. If you are interested in reading it, here is a direct link.

Captive Arabian Leopard - Copyright: Damien Egan

As all of you know, I am completely fascinated, obsessed, and intrigued by all species of wild cats. Is it at all obvious? —

So I am extremely excited to report that I will soon head to Yemen to photograph (well maybe I should say try to photograph) wild Arabian Leopards. There are probably less than 100 wild Arabian Leopards left in all of the Arabian Peninsula, making it incredible important to increase the publicity of the plight of this amazing animal.

I’ll be working with good friend David Stanton from the Foundation for the Protection of the Arabian Leopard in Yemen to capture pictures of wild Arabian Leopards there along with images that illustrate their threats including the hunting of their prey, habitat degradation, and direct persecution along with photographs that demonstrate the conservation efforts currently in place there.

This assignment will partially be funded by the foundation, which at the same time will be working on the the establishment of a protected area. David is currently raising funds that will allow for a former leopard trapper to determine if Arabian Leopards exist in the north-western part of Yemen. If you can at all contribute, you will play a tremendous part in the establishment of an international protected area. To donate and find out all the details please visit the ‘Nightwatch – Catching Arabian Leopards with Camera Traps’ project on kickstarter at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2001600289/nightwatch-catching-arabian-leopards-with-camera-t

Need another incentive to donate? Well, I’ll make it easy on you. Since this project is extremely close to my heart I am offering a 40% discount on any product from my site www.pumapix.com, if you donate $50 or more to the kickstarter project. To receive your discount: forward me a copy of your donation receipt. Next, add any product(s) featured on pumapix.com to your cart and go through the normal ordering process. You can choose to pay with Paypal (if you select this option I will automatically refund 40% of your total order amount via Paypal). Otherwise, you can send a check for the order amount minus 40% to: Sebastian Kennerknecht, 1815 Katrina Court, Santa Cruz, CA 95062.  Alternatively, you can write to me and we can handle the whole transaction via email. This discount will end when the fund raising on kickstarter finishes on September 30th, 2011.

Of course if you feel strongly enough about this project we would more than appreciate you passing this information on (including discount offer) to anyone in your network. Thank you so much for your support!