Conservation Efforts
As of today, there have been very few actions taken in the conservation of the dama gazelle. The few measures that have been taken are reserves so the animal can live in peaceful environment and captive breeding to help rebuild the populations.
There was a reserve for mhorr gazelles set up in 1971 to help avoid extinction of the dama gazelle. This reserve, Parque de Rescate de la Fauna Sahariana (Rescue Park for Saharan Fauna) of the Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (Experimental Station of Arid Zones), is in Spain. The reserve has been a success and is still around today.
There was another reserve for the mhorr subspecies in Chad called the Ouadi Rime-Ouadi Achime Faunal Reserve. This reserve was effective from 1978–1987, but due to civil war, the reserve was abandoned.
Captive breeding is a very popular way to help an endangered species repopulate. This is a good way to have the species reproduce in captivity and then free them back into the wild. It can be a helpful way for the species to recover. It may be bad because small population sizes are used and there may not be enough genetic variance or there may be interbreeding between the animals. This is the most effective way to avoid the species from going extinct.
Most addra gazelles are now managed in zoos and AZA institutions in the United States according to a Species Survival Plan. Small population size and inbreeding are a serious concern in this population due to the increased parasite load and reduced reproductive viability. No reserves for this subspecies exists in the wild, and few substantial in situ conservation efforts have been mounted due to the political situation in the current fragmented addra habitat.
Researchers J.F. Grettenberger & J.E. Newby in 1986 wrote that survival of this species depended on more reserves being created in the Sahelian and Saharan zones where the highest concentration of gazelles reside. As the population deteriorates, researchers in 2008 stressed the need for healthy captive population and for help to preserve their habitats in the wild.
Read more about this topic: Dama Gazelle
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