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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. Those 33 dama gazelles 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.
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