Five months old and four months old respectively, they are the only Mhorr gazelles born in Italy this year. Their birth at Zoom Torino Biopark represents an extraordinary conservation achievement for a species on the brink of being classified as “Extinct in the Wild” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). After spending their first weeks with their mothers, the two young gazelles now share the park’s savannah with three giraffes, three other antelope species, Thomson’s gazelles and several impalas, which have become regular playmates.
«The future of this species,» explains Irene Carnovale, Curator at Zoom Torino Biopark, «depends almost entirely on births under managed care. Fewer than 200 individuals now remain between Chad and Niger, occupying less than 1% of their original range. That is why every birth is so valuable for the Mhorr gazelle, which is now also facing the risk of genetic impoverishment.» This condition is the result of decades of hunting pressure and the progressive degradation of the Sahara’s desert habitats, which have reduced the species to one of the rarest antelopes on the African continent.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Isabel have already explored every corner of the 10,000-square-metre Serengeti habitat, which they share with seven other species of African herbivores.
«During these hot days, the two young gazelles prefer the shadier areas of the savannah, where they rest beside their mothers during the hottest hours of the day,» says Irene Carnovale. «Towards the evening, however, they start playing with impalas of a similar age, always under the supervision of the adults of both species. The giraffes, after some initial curiosity, have maintained their usual composure: they watch the youngsters’ lively behaviour from above without becoming involved in their play.»
The two young gazelles have not yet developed the characteristic white and reddish-brown coat of the adults, instead retaining the uniform brown colouring typical of the first months of life. With their slender bodies, long legs and natural agility, Elizabeth and Isabel are already beginning to display the characteristics that make the Mhorr gazelle one of the iconic antelope species of the Sahara.
