Goitered gazelle  (Gazella subgutturosa)

Throughout their range, goitered gazelles are the victims of illegal hunting and habitat loss, and although still widely spread, their numbers are declining and their distribution is uneven. While substantial populations are thought to remain in Mongolia and Kazakhstan, declines are widely reported elsewhere, and some populations, such as those in Turkmenistan, have almost disappeared completely. Most populations are now small and isolated from one another, leaving them vulnerable to further reduction. This species has been hunted for its meat and, to a lesser extent, for trophies, while the Arabian subspecies has also suffered from occasional live-capture for private collections. Habitat has been lost and severely degraded due to economic development, conversion to agricultural land, and overgrazing by increasing numbers of domestic livestock (1) (4). The Arabian subspecies in particular suffers from competition for food with domestic sheep and goats (16). In Central Asia, the goitered gazelle is also vulnerable to the effects of severe winter weather (1). At present, the total number of this species in the wild is no more than 120,000 to 140,000 individuals, whilst around 529 individuals exist in captivity (4) (7).

The goitered gazelle is legally protected across all countries it inhabits, except Iran, where traditionally these gazelles are used for legal trophy hunting. Even elsewhere where legal protection exists, the law is not necessarily enforced effectively. Consequently, the species mostly remains only in protected areas such as nature reserves, and may increasingly grow to rely on national parks and reserves for safe refuge (1). Most countries have special areas for protection of goitered gazelle populations, but the level of real protection inside these areas depends considerably on economic level and political stability in one or other country (4) (14) (20). Reintroduction programmes are being conducted in Saudi Arabia to create new wild populations of these gazelles (19) and could provide a model for future reintroductions elsewhere.