Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and more Middle Eastern countries now fill the news. Many Americans think of this part of the world as only vast desert, deficient of habitable land, a place without much we can relate to. But one thing I have found to spark my interest beyond the obvious conflict is that the Middle East has incredible animal life too! Animals you might not at first think of. Sure, it has the expected scorpions, lizards and rodents, but it also has the beautiful rare, Arabian Oryx, the fierce Arabian leopard, the incredible snow leopard, cheetah, and flamingo! How do all these amazing varieties of animals live in such a seemingly barren environment?

The Middle East is considered by many to be the "cradle of civilization". Developments such as complex communities, irrigation, agriculture and large-scale trade come from this region. Biblical Babylonia is southern Iraq and the garden of Eden may have been inspired by the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The environment is quite diverse, from the proverbial desert areas to mountains, great rivers, fertile lands and seas. After years of conflict in this region of the world, shortages of fresh water in many areas and uncontrolled hunting of animals for food, fur, export or simply persecution, many of these unique and well-adapted species are having difficulty surviving.

The striped hyena can still be found in areas of Oman, Yemen, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. The effect of stripes on a hyena creates a very different appearance, but still obviously a hyena, with many of the same behavioral characteristics. Striped hyenas are primarily scavengers, eating everything they can find from insects and reptiles to fruits and hopefully, the occasional carcass.

The sand cat is one of the cutest little cats you will ever see - should you ever get the chance to see one. They are solitary, nocturnal and shy, coming out at night to hunt rodents, reptiles (including venomous snakes), birds and other small prey. It is believed they do not need to drink water, but rather obtain moisture from what they eat. They are still hunted for their thick fur, which they of course need to withstand the harsh desert temperatures.

The ratel, or honey badger is another of my favorites. They have striking dark below and light on top coloration, and wonderful adaptations for digging (long sharp claws), protection from predators and prey (thick skin) and from the elements (low, bulky body, no external ears). Small, compact, tough and aggressive, it has found a way to survive in many areas of Africa. Although often trapped and killed by beekeepers because of their penchant for insect larvae, and like all animals, are losing habitat to human encroachment, they have succeeded in adapting to various habitats and climates.

No discussion of Middle Eastern animals should be complete without mention of the remarkable story of the Arabian Oryx. Hunted to extinction by the late 1970's, thankfully this antelope was sustained in zoological facilities and through captive breeding programs, has been reintroduced to the wild. Unfortunately wild populations are still threatened by poaching.

Of course I don't have room to write of all the rest of the thousands of species which make their home in the lands we now find more familiar. Hundreds of thousands of waterfowl and other spectacular birds like falcons, flamingos and shorebirds migrate through these countries and depend on sharing limited resources with the human populations for survival. Other mammals such as wolves, foxes, baboons, hedgehogs, gazelle, jackals, eagles, snakes, hyrax, frogs, hornbills, dugong, sea turtles, kingfishers, osprey, dolphins, whales, bats, mongoose, porcupines, caracal, and many, many more all survive in the lands in which we now find our troops and our thoughts.

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