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Drew Gardner

@asgardner56

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Photographer and zoologist in the UAE, shooting an eclectic mix of animals, landscapes and nature, mainly in Arabia and Western Australia.

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Gallagher’s Leaf-toed Gecko Asaccus gallagheri..

A small nocturnal gecko of rock faces in the Hajar Mountains. Adults are about 40 mm from snout to vent. In the UAE it lives from sea level to around 600 m, on wadi walls, boulders and low cliffs on open hillsides. Its full range covers the central and western Hajar, from Musandam through the UAE to Jebel Akhdar.

The first specimen was not found on a rock face. Nicholas Arnold described the species in 1972 from a single juvenile collected after dark on 7 April 1970 by Michael Gallagher. It came from the waste-pipe of a bath in the officers’ mess at the Trucial Oman Scouts camp at Masafi. Arnold searched the camp the following year, even dismantling a sump pit, and found no more. He named it Phyllodactylus gallagheri, and it was moved to Asaccus in 1973.

It is the only Asaccus without enlarged tubercles on the back, which gives it smooth, nearly translucent skin. Adults differ by tail colour: yellow in males, and white barred with black in females.

Asaccus has more endemic species in the Hajar than any other vertebrate genus, and the count keeps rising as genetic work separates lookalikes. In 2018, Simó-Riudalbas and colleagues showed that what had been called A. gallagheri was two species that split about 6 million years ago. The eastern Hajar populations in Oman became A. arnoldi. All UAE animals belong to A. gallagheri in the strict sense.

On the UAE National Red List it is Least Concern, with populations thought to be stable. Its area of occupancy in the country is only about 168 km², all of it in the mountains.

@ews_wwf

#AsaccusGallagheri #HajarMountains #UAEwildlife #ArabianNaturalHistory #phyllodactylidae by @asgardner56

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a day ago

Mountain houses, Wadi Wurayah
The first photo is a reconstructed mountain house in Wadi Wurayah, built about fifteen years ago in the traditional way. The second shows the remains of a similar house inside the park, about a kilometre away.
The houses were constructed from locally sourced materials. The low walls are of rounded cobbles, The roof is a frame of branches covered in thatch. It looks like grass, but is ishbaq, the mountain spurge Euphorbia larica, which grows on the surrounding slopes. Everything came from close by.
These were not permanent homes. Families moved between the coast and the wadi through the year, and a light shelter of stone and thatch suited that kind of life. It could be put up quickly, used for a season and repaired on the next visit.
The roof was always the first part to go. Once a house fell out of use, the thatch rotted or blew away, and the walls slowly slumped inwards. What survives is what you see in the second photo: a ring of stones a few courses high around a cleared earth floor, with a second ring just behind it and a shrub rooted in the wall. Footings like these can still be found in Wadi Wurayah, and they are easy to walk past without noticing.
Wadi Wurayah became the UAE’s first protected mountain area in 2009 and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site managed by the Fujairah Environmental Authority. It is mostly known for its pools, waterfall and wildlife, but people were living in and moving through these valleys long before it was protected.
@ews_wwf
#WadiWurayah #HajarMountains #UAEheritage #VernacularArchitecture #Fujairah by @asgardner56

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4 days ago

Two sisters. Two brothers. Four little lives waiting for somewhere safe to call home. 🐾💛

These siblings love playing together and enjoying the simple things. They’re easygoing, low-maintenance companions who need regular care, kindness and a safe home.

They don’t need to be adopted all together—pairs would be lovely, but individual homes are welcome too.

📍Abu Dhabi
💌 Message @maumauabudhabi to meet them.
Please share to help their future families find them.

#MauMauAbuDhabi #AbuDhabiCats #AdoptDontShop #UAEcatAdoption #RescueCats by @asgardner56

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13 days ago

Boots has found herself a job. 🌿
Apparently the pool needs a full-time gardener.
One frangipani leaf at a time. 😂🐾

#MauMauAbuDhabi #AdoptBoots #RescueCat #AbuDhabiCats #TortoiseshellCat by @asgardner56

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15 days ago

Elsie is back. 🤍

After being attacked by a much larger cat, Elsie panicked and jumped over a wall. She couldn’t get back.

For two days we searched and worried, not knowing where she was.

When she finally returned, she was desperately hungry and thirsty, and her already injured tail was in a bad state.

She is safe again for now. But this little girl shouldn’t have to keep surviving like this.

Elsie needs a safe home.

📍 Abu Dhabi
Please share her story. The right person may simply not have seen her yet.

#ElsieNeedsAHome #AbuDhabiCats #CatAdoptionUAE #RescueCat #MauMauAbuDhabi by @asgardner56

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17 days ago

“Am I invisible?” Tazzie the Mini Mau wonders as she looks at her reflection in the pool.

“I can see myself. Why can’t I find a home?” 🖤

Tazzie is small, curious and loves attention. She’s vaccinated and neutered, and she’s waiting for a safe home in Abu Dhabi or beyond.

If you’d like to give Tazzie a home, please DM @maumauabudhabi. If you can’t, please share her post so someone who can will see her.

#AdoptTazzie #MauMauAbuDhabi #AbuDhabiCats #RescueCat #AdoptDontShop by @asgardner56

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a month ago

Tom and Elsie, just hanging out together and waiting for the one thing they both really need — a home. 🐾❤️

They’re safe, cared for and loved, but they deserve more than life outside. They deserve sofas, sunny windows, toys, cuddles and a family of their own.

Tom is our clever, slightly wobbly boy with a huge personality, and Elsie is still just a baby with her whole life ahead of her.

Could there be room in your home for one of them — or perhaps even both? 🏡

📍 Abu Dhabi — homes further afield considered.

#MauMauAbuDhabi #AdoptDontShop #AbuDhabiCats #RescueCats #CatsForAdoption by @asgardner56

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a month ago

Elsie is dreaming of home… 🐾

Maybe it has a window with a view.
Maybe it is cosy, with snow falling outside.
Maybe there are children or other pets to play with.
Or perhaps there are even kangaroos hopping nearby.

She doesn’t know where her family will be—only that she hopes they are out there somewhere.

Could Elsie find her place in your family? ❤️#maumauabudhabi #arabianmau #adoptdontshopuae by @asgardner56

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a month ago

From a rough start to a real chance at love. ❤️

These rescue cats, aged 4 months to 3 years, are looking for homes in Abu Dhabi and beyond. They have had a hard start in life, but they’ve received the medical and dental treatment they needed and are now ready for safe, loving homes.

They are friendly, tame, neutered, vaccinated and litter trained — and each one deserves a family of their own.

Please DM @MauMauAbuDhabi if you are interested, or share this post to help them find their people. #MauMauAbuDhabi #AdoptDontShop #RescueCats #CatAdoption #AbuDhabiCats by @asgardner56

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a month ago

Poor Elsie is still living on a busy downtown Abu Dhabi street.

She has an injury to her tail, and because it is such a difficult area to heal, life on the street makes recovery much harder. We can support her with food, care and veterinary help, but as long as she remains outside, she is still at risk.

Elsie is affectionate, playful and loves attention. She does not belong on the street — she belongs in a safe home with someone to love her, play with her and let her heal properly.

We already have 3 rescue cats and cannot take in another, so Elsie really does need someone to choose her.

If you can offer Elsie a loving permanent home, please DM @maumauabudhabi.

#AdoptElsie #AbuDhabiCats #RescueCat #CatAdoptionUAE #ForeverHomeNeeded by @asgardner56

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a month ago

Meet Tom 🖤🤍

Tom may be a little wobbly on his legs because of a neurological condition, but nobody has told Tom that he’s supposed to be different.

He has already recovered from a serious attack by another cat, and somehow he has come through it all still happy, curious and incredibly clever.

Whether he’s sitting on the pavement, exploring outside or climbing a tree, Tom carries himself as though he is surveying his kingdom.

In Tom’s mind, he isn’t a wobbly little street cat.

He is a lion. 🦁

Now this brave, funny boy needs a safe home where he can finally be king of his own castle.

📍 Abu Dhabi
🏡 Looking for a permanent home

#AdoptTom #MauMauAbuDhabi #AdoptDontShop #AbuDhabiCats #RescueCat by @asgardner56

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a month ago

🐾 Izzie needs a peaceful home—fast 🐾

Hello, I’m Izzie. I’m a gentle, playful girl who wants a very simple life: toys to chase, a comfortable place to sleep and someone to love me.

I’m staying in a foster home, but the other cats have decided they don’t want me there. I don’t understand why—I’m not looking for trouble. I just want to play with my toys, spend time with my friend Finn the dog and live in peace.

My foster family is trying to keep me safe, but I urgently need a home of my own. I would be happiest in a calm home where I can relax, play and finally feel that I belong.

Could I come home with you? If you cannot adopt me, please share my story. The right person may be waiting to find me. 🤍

📍 Abu Dhabi
💌 Please message @maumauabudhabi to meet Izzie.

#AdoptIzzie #AbuDhabiCats #CatsForAdoptionUAE #AdoptDontShopUAE #MauMauAbuDhabi by @asgardner56

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a month ago