Dama Gazelle

A critically endangered species, it has disappeared from most of its former range due to overhunting and habitat loss, and natural populations only remain in Chad, Mali, and Niger.

The dama gazelle (Nanger dama), also known as the addra gazelle or mhorr gazelle, is a species of gazelle.

Its diet includes shrubs, herbs, grasses, leaves (especially Acacia leaves), shoots, and fruit.

Unlike many other desert mammals, the dama gazelle is a diurnal species, meaning it is active during the day.

Habitat pressure from pastoral activity is another reason for decline, as are introduced diseases from livestock.

The national parks are not well guarded, and poaching still occurs.

It is between 90 and 95 cm (35 and 37 in) tall at the shoulder, weighs between 35 and 75 kg (77 and 165 lb), and has a lifespan up to 12 years in the wild or 18 in captivity.

It lives in Africa, in the Sahara desert and the Sahel.

In 2015, a reintroduction project was conducted in the Western Saharan territory of Morocco, in the Safia Natural Reserve close to the border with Mauritania.