The Dama Gazelles: Last Members of a Critically Endangered Species (Volume 58) (W. L. Moody Jr. Natural History Series)

Finalist, 2019 Outstanding Publications Award, sponsored by the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society Dama gazelles, the largest of the gazelles, were once a common sight in Northern Africa, with a habitat ranging from the Atlantic Ocean east almost to the Nile River. Today, these animals are critically endangered as their populations have dropped precipitously due to the effects of expanding agrarian practices, overhunting, violent human conflict, and climate change on their native habitats. Though they are perilously close to extinction in the wild, Texas ranches maintain over a thousand dama gazelles—more than the number currently in zoos and in the wild combined. The habitat on some of these ranches resembles their natural range along the Sahara Desert of Northern Africa, making them suitable living spaces for damas. In The Dama Gazelles, Elizabeth Cary Mungall brings together experts from around the world and offers a comprehensive reference book on these animals, including information on natural history and taxonomy; physical and behavioral traits; dama gazelles held in zoos and collections, parks and preserves, and on Texas ranches; and efforts to reintroduce populations into the wild. There is also a rare, firsthand account from Frans M. van den Brink, an animal dealer from the Netherlands, who in the 1960s successfully captured 35 dama gazelles in Northern Africa and transported them to zoos in the United States and Europe, losing only two animals in the harrowing process. The remaining 33 eastern dama gazelles, plus four of the western dama gazelles gathered before their extinction in the wild, were the “founders” of all the dama gazelles in captivity today. Detailed appendixes and a glossary round out the volume with additional information to help researchers, zookeepers, and landowners better understand and conserve dama gazelles. Dama gazelles, the largest of the gazelles, were once a common sight in Northern Africa, with a habitat ranging from the Atlantic Ocean east almost to the Nile River. Today, these animals are critically endangered as their populations have dropped precipitously due to the effects of expanding agrarian practices, overhunting, violent human conflict, and climate change on their native habitats.Though they are perilously close to extinction in the wild, Texas ranches maintain over a thousand dama gazelles—more than the number currently in zoos and in the wild combined. The habitat on some of these ranches resembles their natural range along the Sahara Desert of Northern Africa, making them suitable living spaces for damas.In__The Dama Gazelles__, Elizabeth Cary Mungall brings together experts from around the world and offers a comprehensive reference book on these animals, including information on natural history and taxonomy; physical and behavioral traits; dama gazelles held in zoos and collections, parks and preserves, and on Texas ranches; and efforts to reintroduce populations into the wild. There is also a rare, firsthand account from Frans M. van den Brink, an animal dealer from the Netherlands, who in the 1960s successfully captured 35 dama gazelles in Northern Africa and transported them to zoos in the United States and Europe, losing only two animals in the harrowing process. The remaining 33 eastern dama gazelles, plus four of the western dama gazelles gathered before their extinction in the wild, were the “founders” of all the dama gazelles in captivity today.Detailed appendixes and a glossary round out the volume with additional information to help researchers, zookeepers, and landowners better understand and conserve dama gazelles. Foreword / by Bonnie C. Yates -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction / by David Mallon -- The dama gazelle through time -- Path to endangered status / by Abdelkader Jebali -- Taxonomy and distribution / by Andrew C. Kitchener -- Conservation implications from genetic testing / by Helen Senn -- Artwork through the ages / by Elizabeth Cary Mungall and Abdelkader Jebali -- Overview of a species -- Mothers, fawns, and general behavior / by Elizabeth Cary Mungall -- Territoriality / by Elizabeth Cary Mungall -- Growing up and growing old / by Elizabeth Cary Mungall -- Horns and color notes / by Elizabeth Cary Mungall -- Food habits of the dama gazelle / by Abdelkader Jebali and Elizabeth Cary Mungall -- Hand raising a dama gazelle / by Elizabeth Cary Mungall -- History and management at zoos, in parks, and on ranches -- North American zoos / by Adam Eyres -- European zoos / by Tania Gilbert and Gerardo Espeso Pajares -- Arabian collections / by Lisa Banfield, Hessa Al Qahtani, and Mark Craig -- Parks and preserves / by Adam Eyres -- Texas ranches / by Elizabeth Cary Mungall -- To and from the wild -- Dama gazelles captured in Chad / by Frans M. van den Brink -- Rescuing the mhorr gazelle / by Teresa Abáigar -- Status of reintroductions / by Teresa Abáigar -- Release of mhorr gazelle back to the wild / by Teresa Abáigar -- Dama gazelles in the wild / by John Newby, Tim Wacher, and Thomas Rabeil -- Conclusion / by Elizabeth Cary Mungall -- Appendixes -- 1. Notes on original descriptions for scientific names / by Andrew C. Kitchener -- 2. Diagram of dama gazelle physical features / by Elizabeth Cary Mungall -- Glossary