One of the world's most endangered animals comes to ZooParc

ZooParc may welcome five extremely rare mhorrgazelles this year. Only about 500 of this species are left worldwide. With the arrival of the five animals, one male and four females, the zoo in Overloon can contribute 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 23 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. Roel Huibers, general manager, therefore let us know, "We are very happy that we can contribute to the preservation of this species."

ZooParc will soon be only the second place in the Netherlands where mhorrgazelles will be on display. The five animals, which come from zoos in Belgium, France and Germany, will be on display in the African expedition area Ngorongoro. They will move into an existing enclosure, which will be specially refurbished for the five in the coming weeks. Steven van den Heuvel, head zookeeper, says: "Mhorrgazelles come from the desert. That's why there will also be a large sandy area where they can have a great time." A shelter will also be built, where the gazelles can take shelter in bad weather. They will share their enclosure with two ostriches. These animals are also new to ZooParc.

Largest species of gazelle
The mhorrgazelle is one of the subspecies of dam gazelles, 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 around eighty-five kilograms. The gazelles have a brown back and neck and their belly and legs are white. In most of this species, a thin brown stripe continues 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 ten to thirty 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. Therefore, Van den Heuvel explains, "Gazelles are seen as graceful animals, so partly that is why the animals got this name."

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