Page 117 - THE SLOUGHI REVIEW - ISSUE 13

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Hare © panthermedia-wfs-stuetzle

Lhote writes:
“The hare. The hare is widespread in the Central Sahara as well as in the Sudanese steppe. It
must be Leptis harterti Thomas. This animal can have so many different variants and its

study is so delicate that it would be necessary to study it thoroughly. As with gazelles and
other small mammals, many field researchers believe that they are dealing with a known
animal that is no longer useful to science, which is why many hunters have no interest in its
populations.

Here, as with many other species, cooperation between hunters and naturalists would be of
great benefit. The Sahara hare is conspicuous for its isabel-coloured fur, through which it
completely blends visually with the sand, and for an unusual development of the auditory
lobes, which enable it to perceive sounds from a great distance and to get to safety in time -

prerequisites for its safety in areas where the vegetation does not always allow it to hide
quickly enough from the eyes of its enemies.

It climbs to the highest altitudes and is not uncommon in the wadis of Ahaggar at about
2,400 metres. It is also found in the Tanezrouft as soon as there is an old valley with a few
clumps of vegetation. It is also common in the Aïr and Adrar, but of course it is most
widespread in the grassy plains. In the Talak plains, which border the Air to the west, I
sometimes saw up to 40 animals per group in the evening at sunset, coming out of the

bushes in search of food. In this area, I often saw the Eklan gather for drive hunts and kill
the animals with sticks. Rabbits are also hunted with dogs. In flat terrain, it is always
caught by the Tuareg dogs if it does not have the presence of mind to make a sharp hook.