Welcome to this week’s spotlight species, Slender-horned gazelle (or rhim gazelle or sand gazelle) “Gazella leptoceros”. The slender-horned gazelle is classified by the IUCN as EN (endangered). There are an estimated fewer than 2,500 left in the wild, with populations decreasing. The main threats to the slender–horned gazelle are relentless hunting, civil unrest, habitat loss and increased human activities, mainly associated with industrial oil development and increased tourism. Informational reports suggest that they are a target for low level general demand for gazelle meat, which is periodically accelerated in association with special occasions. Their horns are also sold as ornaments. In recent years, slender-horned gazelle have only been reported with certainty in 4 North African countries; Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Algeria. Despite extensive potential habitat in Libya, they remain largely unreported in the last 25 years, and even then they were considered rare. In the past, slender-horned gazelle had been reported from suitable sand sea habitats in Mali, Niger, Chad and Sudan, and they are still reported from close to the Niger border in southern Algeria, but none of these locations have had verified sightings for several decades. According to the Sahara Conservation Fund there are 3 main priorities in protecting the slender-horned gazelle: 1. Protect important sites in the Algerian Erg Occidental and promotion of trans-border conservation collaboration at sites between Algeria and Tunisia (Erg Oriental) and between Egypt and Libya. 2. Survey of potential habitat in southern Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Niger, Chad and Sudan. 3. Establish national conservation strategies within range states to coordinate in situ conservation and develop scientific captive breeding support. There is a small number of slender-horned gazelle in captivity around the world. All captive animals are part of an international captive breeding program but all are derived from a very small initial founder group originally wild caught in Tunisia. There are also very small captive groups held by national conservation institutions in Algeria and Tunisia. Thank you to Brent Huffman for the photos!
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 21:00:00 +0000
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