Sustainable Choices to Protect the Slender-Horned Gazelle

Slender-Horned Gazelle
Source: Wikimedia Commons

The endangered species I chose is the slender-horned gazelle, or Gazella leptoceros. It is a small mammal with a light coat which allows it to stay cool in the sun, and long horns. This animal is found in the desert, normally in Northern Africa in countries like Algeria, Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia. It is herbivorous, and therefore a primary consumer. It normally feeds late at night and early in the morning on small plants and shrubs. The slender-horned gazelle rarely drinks water, often utilizing dew from desert plants. It is a fairly quiet and nomadic animal, often wandering the desert in search of food and water. The life span of a slender-horned gazelle is about 14 years, and they have one young per birth. They are about 40-50 pounds, and their body length is about 3 feet. There are currently 300-600 mature slender-horned gazelles in the wild, and this number is decreasing according to the IUCN. They are categorized as “endangered”. 

Desert Landscape
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Desert Landscape
Source: Wikimedia Commons

The major biome that this species lives in is the desert. This biome is normally hot and dry during the day (typically around 100 degrees Fahrenheit), but the temperature can much colder at night (down to about 50 degrees Fahrenheit). There are also arctic deserts, which remain frigid but have similar precipitation patterns. Soil in this biome is very infertile and hostile, and there is very limited vegetation with the exception of small oasis areas. There is little to no rainfall in the desert, but when it does rain, there are often flash floods. The desert stays fairly constant year-round with only minor seasonal changes. Fall and Spring are moderately hot, summer is exceptionally hot, and winter is especially dry with little precipitation. There is the lowest amount of life in this biome when compared to others, as it is very desolate and hostile. This is because water is the substance of life, and not much water can be found in the desert. This means that the productivity of this biome is relatively low. 

Biomes in Africa
Source: Wikimedia Commons

The primary producers in this biome are small plants like cacti and salt bushes. The primary consumers are animals like rabbits and camels, and the tertiary consumers are animals like snakes and coyotes. The habitat within this biome that is specific to the slender-horned gazelle are the dunes within the desert, where they wander in search of food. This habitat is important to this species because with such small food availability, they need to be able to travel far distances. This habitat does not change much over the seasons, and all it needs to thrive are the sands and plants in the desert.

Poacher in the Desert
Source: PxHere

A critical threat of the slender-horned gazelle is uncontrolled poaching, “though disturbance, increased human activity and degradation of natural habitats” (IUCN). This threat also affects the entire biome, and all of the living things in it. According to the IUCN website, cheap motorcycles and quads allowing for easy access of the full range of the desert are to blame for disturbance of vegetation and wildlife. Poachers not only destroy the gazelles’ source of food, but the hunt them often as well. This threat in this specific biome is especially harmful because the vegetation that primary consumers eat is scarce to begin with. Additionally, gazelles are not able to hide in the desert due to the landscape, so they are likely easier to hunt. Compared to a tropical rainforest biome, this problem is much more prevalent and detrimental. In a tropical rainforest, there are still poachers, but food and water are plentiful, so the poachers’ travelling across the landscape does not seriously endanger the animals. Poachers do still hunt animals in tropical rainforests, so they are still a threat to animals living in that biome. Abiotic and biotic organisms in both the tropical rainforest biome and the desert biome are threatened by poachers, but in slightly different ways.

According to the IUCN website, sport hunting and specimen collecting of the slender-horned gazelle is still allowed nationally and internationally. However, eating gazelle is only done locally. Currently, the population is continuing to decline. The IUCN website states that there is no Action Recovery Plan currently in place, and no Systematic monitoring scheme. However, there have been conservation sites identified for this animal and it is included in international legislation. The slender-horned gazelle has not been successfully reintroduced or introduced benignly, and there are less than 100 in captivity. The IUCN site also states that there is “effective enforcement of bans on hunting, especially for the protection of existing populations in protected areas”. There is currently research needed on the taxonomy, population size, population distribution, population trends, and harvest level trends of this animal to contribute to its conservation. 

Wooded area in Boulder, CO
Picture taken by me

In Keene, New Hampshire, many students like to hike outside or walk around in the woods. When doing so, it’s important to be conscious of the wildlife and organisms around you; the earth is their home just as much as anyone else’s. While outdoors, we should keep our eyes open for things like animal habitats (nests, dams, etc.) and try our best to avoid crushing live primary producers like plants, shrubs, and small trees. Animals depend on these things to survive, and if we are just aware of our surroundings, we can ensure that they are not being damaged by us. 

“The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.” IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, www.iucnredlist.org/species/8972/50186909.