Saudi Arabia released 313 gazelles and 20 years later both species thrived

Across one of Saudi Arabia’s largest protected desert landscapes, a conservation experiment that began in the 1990s is still visible two decades later. A total of 313 captive-bred Arabian and sand gazelles were released into Uruq Bani Ma'arid, where their movements were first followed with radio tracking. When researchers returned in 2015–2016, a large camera-trap survey showed that both species had established populations, although they used different parts of the reserve. Sand gazelles also shifted their range with the seasons, while Arabian gazelles changed their activity as temperatures rose, spending more time active at night and around dawn and dusk.Saudi Arabia gazelle reintroduction began with 313 captive-bred animalsThe gazelles belonged to two species with a long association with the Arabian Peninsula. The Arabian gazelle, Gazella arabica, and Arabian sand gazelle, Gazella marica, are both globally threatened. During the mid-to-late 1990s, groups of captive-bred sand gazelles and Arabian gazelles were released at several locations within Uruq Bani Ma'arid. The approach was spread over multiple sites and carried out over a period of roughly two to three years, rather than ...