|
Sloughis in Sinai
As all over the Arab-Desert-World the Sighthound is loved so do
the Sinaitic Bedouins. Not only as a faithful companion at the favourite
sports, the hunting, but also as a guard who takes care of the girl
and the goats and early in the morning accompanies them into the
desert to look for pasture.
"Salag" - the Singular of the Plural "Sloughi"
- is the word the men of the tribe "Tarabin" use to call
their dearly beloved hounds.
Though the hound is an "unclean" animal and disapproved
in the Islamic Religion, the Sloughi is an exception. the legend
tells, that the white spot on the forehead was "kissed by Allah"
and that the Sloughi was a gift from the gods to the tribes. Therefore
the sloughi is here also called "El Hor", the Noble.
Though there aren't so many gazelles nowadays the Sloughi is still
well liked for hare-hunting. At the same time he is trained not
to kill his catch, because it wouldn't be eatable for people according
to the Islamic commandment.
It is remarkable that an "unclean" animal is highly estimated
but a Sloughi is not saleable. Though in former times a Sloughi
was exceptionally donated as prize-money at Camel-Races.
So it took me two years to get a desert-hound. For several years
the wonderful animals have attracted my attention who accompanied
Minea and Aida into the Wadi "Lathi" with their flocks.
A lot of perseverance was required to get a chance of talking to
both of the Bedouins, who weren't very friendly either, the hounds.
Only showly they thawed, but whelps.....no, there weren't any. I
found it very strange, as there were three bitches and one male-dog.
Minea said, the bitch would eat them up immediately after birth.
And should one survive, it would be a fair game for a fox or an
eagle. I had to work hard to convince them!
As I already said, money didn't go, it wouldn't work. "And
further more," Aida said, "in the end you wouldn't come
to fetch it and then we would have one more hound!" So I became
a constant guest at the two girls, and when we made friends at last,
they promised to watch out for the litter and then give me a Sloughi-baby.
Nevertheless, it took one more year until it came! On a December-morning
I came to the Wadi Lathi and Aida ran to me telling me to go with
her. Up the mountain we went where she showed me a cave. In it,
in the darkness scarcely to be seen, there was a little, white and
round bundle squeaking. My Sloughi! The eyes still closed - perhaps
not even one week old. Aida insisted to take the baby with me now,
for she had a lot of trouble to save the hound from the dangers
of the wilderness. I explained to her, that I would come in about
three weeks, and the whelp had to stay here that long to survive.
Its mother seemed to nourish it well! I left behind two very sceptical
Bedouin - women!
At the end of December I came - being a desert-guide - with a German
party on their New-year excursion also to the Wadi Lathi. As I Told
them the previous evening at the camp-fire the story how Orion and
Sirius, the dog-star. came to the firmament, I was sure, that I
didn't need to look for a name for my Sloughi.
Well, and ever since, this is now two years, Sirius has accompanied
me all over the desert on my tours, and he is as well my companion
on my Sinaitic mountain-tours proving to be a wonderful climber.
And even in every summer he comes with me to Europe, where I try
to teach my semi-wild desert-hound at a school for hounds how to
behave properly. In Germany he may not chase hares and he hasn't
got the same freedom as he has at home. But he likes the meadows
the same as the desert-sand and he plays with the cows the same
way as with camels!
 |
Should I take him to a racecourse?
Recently, when I was to Wadi Lathi again I met only two Sloughis.
The male-dog and a bitch died of the hard conditions of surviving
in the desert. I was lucky to get the last descendant of the Sloughis
from Wadi Lathi. For many centuries the Bedouins were dependent
on the assistance of their Sloughis when hunting. But also in the
Sinai the "civilization" takes ground. And the more of
the former free desert sons settle in villages the more the desire
for a mobile phone displaces the wish for having a hunting-hound.
And on my tours through the Sinai - Desert there are less and less
of these noble and with the strength of the rough nature fitted
out animals.
|
