One of the world's most endangered animals on display at ZooParc.

ZooParc has welcomed four extremely rare female mhorrgazelles. A male will also join them in the fall. There are only about 250 of this species left in the wild. With the arrival of the five animals, the zoo in Overloon contributes to the preservation of this species.

Half a century ago, mhorrgazelles, which originally occurred throughout the Sahara Desert, nearly became extinct as they were hunted by poachers. Spanish army captain and photographer José Antonio Valverde came across the species during his research trip in Africa. He set up a rescue operation in 1971 and brought the last remaining animals to Spain.

Management Program
Thanks to the European management program, there are currently several hundred animals again. These live in 27 zoos in Europe. There are also two special centers in Spain and the United Arab Emirates. Thanks to this European management program, animals have also been released back into the wild. In total, about five hundred mhorrgazelles live together in the wild and in captivity. Roel Huibers, general manager, says: "It is very special that soon no less than one percent of the population of these animals will reside in our park. We are very pleased that we can contribute to the preservation of this species."

ZooParc is the second place in the Netherlands to see mhorrgazelles. The animals, which come from zoos in Spain, France and Germany, can be seen in the African expedition area Ngorongoro. Steven van den Heuvel, head zookeeper, says: "Mhorrgazelles come from the desert. That is why there is a large sandy area where they can have a great time." Two more shelters are also being built, where the gazelles can take shelter in bad weather. They will share their enclosure with two ostriches.

Largest species of gazelle
The mhorrgazelle is one of the subspecies of damagazelles, the largest among the gazelles. The shoulder height of the mhorrgazelle is seventy-five centimeters and it can reach 1.6 meters in height. Both males and females have horns. The horns are ringed and can reach twenty to forty centimeters in length. On average, these animals weigh between forty and fifty kilograms. The gazelles have a brown back and neck and their belly and legs are white. In most of this species, another thin brown stripe runs from the back to the legs.

Originally, these gazelles lived mainly in Morocco, Senegal and Sudan. In dry times the animals often live in herds of 10 to 30 animals, while in the rainy season a group may consist of a hundred or more gazelles. They are shy animals and are found mostly in open and dry areas, such as on the Sahara Desert. They move around these areas a lot to get enough food.

Beauty
The name gazelle comes from the Arabic word "gazal." This word is a symbol of love and thus was often used in love poems in ancient Persia. In addition, "gazal" is also associated with female beauty. Consequently, Van den Heuvel explains, "Gazelles are seen as graceful animals, so partly that is why the animals got this name."

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