Whales and Dolphins of Fujairah

Robert Baldwin has been involved in the study and conservation of whales and dolphins in the Arabian region since 1988. He first visited Fujairah in 1995, where, during a four-day survey in offshore waters, he encountered sperm whales, bottlenose dolphins and false killer whales. It was to be another 22 years before he had the privilege of returning to these waters, having in the meantime studied cetaceans in many other parts of the Arabian region.

Rob is the CEO of 5 Oceans Environmental Services, an environmental consultancy that helps to bridge the gap between conservation and development. He specialises in marine mammals and sea turtles, but also has wider interests both taxonomically and geographically. He is a member of numerous committees and advisory boards of national and international organisations, including IUCN’s Cetacean and Marine Turtle Specialist Groups, the CMS Aquatic Mammals Working Group, the IWC Scientific Committee, the joint IUCN/WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force (MMPATF) and the UN’s Indian Ocean and South-east Asia Marine Turtle MOU Scientific Advisory Committee. Rob has written several other books on marine life of the Arabian region, including four on cetaceans. He currently lives in the Cotswolds, UK, with his wife and family.

Balazs Buzas was born in Budapest and came to work in Fujairah as a zoo manager in the Al Mayya Sanctuary. Soon after his arrival, he began marine research, pioneering a sea snake study with veterinarian Csaba Geczy and documenting other marine life. During this work, he observed dolphins and began to keep a record of sightings. He met with Rob when the local Fujairah authority requested assistance with the excavation of the buried body of a stranded sperm whale. His team successfully recovered the full skeleton of the 15-metre-long specimen with advice from Rob. During this work they discussed the possibility of revisiting the offshore waters of the Emirate of Fujairah and the establishment of a project to study whales and dolphins. The project commenced in 2016 and they have been working together since then. Balazs later established a database and museum collection on various taxa, such as seashells, sharks, reptiles and, of course, cetaceans. He lives in Hungary with his family but continues to support wildlife projects in Fujairah as a consultant.