Hearing The Echo Of A Gecko

Khor Kalba is the last bit of land of the UAE, at the south-eastern tip of the country. When Gonu hit the area on June 6, water surged through the Corniche Park, Suhaila and Khor Kalba.

That week I took a tour from Dibba, through Khor Fakkan to Khor Kalba to see whether any major damage had been caused to the local biodiversity.

What I noticed was that a tiny lizard – one of the smallest of the UAE – the rock semaphore or dwarf rock gecko – has disappeared.

The largest population of this gecko lives in the Hajar Mountains. Some specimens are found in some villages. It even used to be present in Dubai Zoo in Jumeirah.

But recent transformation of the old villages into modern ones and the cleanliness of the townships have wiped out these populations.

Khor Kalba used to be one of the last frontiers for the species outside the Hajar Mountains.

This gecko lives on or very close to the ground on walls, rocks, twigs and tree trunks. It feeds on ants and small insects.

The semaphore gecko could return to Suhaila and Khor Kalba if these areas are not developed into concrete jungles free from natural or cultivated vegetation.