World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) was celebrated worldwide on May 10 and 11.

The event used to be a regional programme until last year when the United Nations Environment Programme recognised it as an international event.

The main aim of WMBD is to raise awareness of the need to protect all migratory birds and their habitats throughout the world.

I never expected to encounter an Arabian oryx within a few kilometres of the Bab Al Shams Hotel and Dubai International Endurance City.

One day, while coming down from a dune, I saw something huge appear by the side of a local under-tree called salam (Acacia ehrenberghiana).

Other than camels, we rarely see any large animals in the desert. I tried to drive as fast as possible to get a clear view of the animal through my Leica binoculars. And when I saw it, I couldn’t believe my eyes. An Arabian oryx right in front of me!

To live in the middle of a desert, many animals have evolved or developed systems of adaptation that allow them to live in such a hostile environment.

Among other adaptations, they have developed ways of movement through (and over) hot and soft as well as sinking sands.

Movement on or through sand is a difficult proposition. Having a light and streamlined body is an asset that helps animals to have easy movement.

There was a time when large numbers of Arabian gazelles roamed the deserts of the UAE which was part of the Great Arabian Desert called Rub Al Khali, or the Empty Quarter.

But with the arrival of men with rifles in four wheel drive vehicles, these animals, along with the Arabian Oryx, began being hunted down.

Fortunately, good sense prevailed, and in the early 1970s the countries of the great desert began diverting their attention to saving them.