Re-introduction of Arabian gazelles in a fenced Protected Area in central Saudi Arabia

Summary

The Arabian gazelle (Gazella arabica), Vulnerable and extirpated from central Saudi Arabia's Mahazat as-Sayd Protected Area by past overhunting, was reintroduced there by Saudi Arabia's National Wildlife Research Center in 2011-2012, one of the first successful releases of the species anywhere in over two decades, using captive-bred animals from the King Khalid Wildlife Research Center. Forty gazelles (12 males, 28 females) were transported 800 km overnight in individual ventilated crates, quarantined in a large pre-release enclosure, vaccinated against rabies and other diseases, and radio-collared before being soft-released in two batches, 17 in March 2011 and 23 in February 2012, timed to favorable vegetation conditions following good rainfall. Daily ground and weekly aerial telemetry tracked location and behavior; eight gazelles died in the first release group, mostly during the dry summer of 2011, and five went permanently missing after radio-collar failures, but mortality dropped sharply in the second release after shifting timing to winter and reducing handling stress. Productivity proved high once established: the first wild-born calf was recorded in August 2012, three more females calved within weeks, and by the report's writing the reintroduced population stood at 29 animals under regular monitoring, with wild-born offspring showing greater adaptability than their captive-bred parents. Difficulties included maintaining long-term monitoring capacity, a lack of mass-capture expertise, and no recent genetic-diversity assessment. The project rates itself successful, crediting the establishment of a breeding population from extirpation and the herd's ability to withstand drought without further supplemental releases.