Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 107, November 2013, pp. 1-29. | Page 6

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developing nature conservation ethic, in which predators ought to be included. As the general attitude is, however, still strongly anti-predator, extensive conservation education is extremely urgent. Legal protection alone is meaningless: In Turkey the leopard (Panthera pardus tulliana) and the tiger (Panthera tigris virgata) have been protected since 1966, but still every detected specimen is shot and both subspecies are about to be exterminated or have already disappeared (Kumerloeve 1975, Mendelssohn 1983, Khalaf-von Jaffa 1990)." Dr. David L. Harrison (1981) wrote in his book "Mammals of the Arabian Gulf" about the Wolf : "Although the Arabian wolf (Canis lupus arabs) is considerably smaller than its northern Eurasian relatives, it is nevertheless strikingly larger than the Jackal, with a total length of about 1140 mm. The general build is like an Alsatian dog, with rather long legs, a short, bushy tail and large ears. The coat is rather short and coarse, variably greyish or yellowish brown on the flanks, with a blackish crest along the spine. The tip of the tail is also black, while the cheeks and underside are usually white. Wolves from the more northerly parts of the peninsula (Canis lupus pallipes) are larger and have thicker, more luxuriant coats.”

The Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) Information Sign at Qalqiliya Zoo, Qalqiliya, State of Palestine. 05.07.2012. Photo by: Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa. The desert wolves of Arabia usually hunt singly or in pairs, and many tales are told by the Bedouin of their cunning in snatching sheep from the flocks. Considering the long-standing enmity of the species with man it is surprising
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 107 – November 2013