North African Gazelle Program
In 1999, our first few gazelles arrived. Over the years our gazelle population has grown to include four gazelle species; Mhorr, Cuvier, Thompson and Slender-horned. Our herds are thriving and breeding every year.
In 2005, Mountain View provided a family unit of 10 Cuvier gazelles to a game reserve in the United Arab Emirates. This re-introduction was so successful that we sent another herd of 7 Mhorr gazelles to the same reserve in 2006.
Successfully breeding gazelles can be challenging because gazelles are very skittish and can easily abandon their young if they are startled. Silence around our herds is critical and we regularly bring females into the barns just before birth to keep them calm. If the mother walks away from her baby, it can happen within hours of birth. At Mountain View we have particular protocols around hand raising these young. One of our key requirements is that we must be silent and not speak around the babies. We do not want them to be imprinted by the human voice. Baby gazelle's are returned to the herd at about 40 days old. Although we continue to bottle feed them for some period, their ability to integrate into the herd means we have succeeded in limiting the human imprint on these animals and they remain wild.
Photo: Vince Beier, Facilities Manager checks on a Mhorr gazelle ready for shipment to the Middle East. Their crates are lined with straw and water is provided. The animals are secure and comfortable and are checked throughout the shipping process by trained animal keepers.
If you would like to support our North African Project, please click on this logo to donate online.
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