Dama gazelle
Nanger dama mhorr
![mhorgazelle A mhorgazelle stands behind a brown port of leaves and sniffs in it.](/fileadmin/_processed_/4/f/csm_mhorgazelle-tierpark-hellabrunn-afrika-tierlexikon_d544fbeb8d.jpg)
- FamilyBovids (Bovidae)
- Weight45 – 75 kg
- HabitatSemi-deserts, sparsely overgrown grass- and scrublands
Wedding dance
In late summer, the males engage in fight rituals over the right to mate with a female. The dominant male then proceeds with a courtship display that includes a “mating march” and a foreleg kick – the male’s front leg taps the female’s hind leg to fi nd out whether she is ready to mate. After a gestation period of about six months, the female gives birth. Within a few days, the newborn fawn is strong enough to join the herd.
![Dama gazelle The picture shows a lying Dama Gazelle. The animal is looking to the right side of the picture.](/fileadmin/_processed_/9/3/csm_mhorrgazelle-tierpark-hellabrunn-tierlexikon-istock_0e7ad13546.png)
Ray of hope
Once widespread in the Sahara, the dama gazelle was on the brink of extinction by the 1980s. A reserve was set up by the Experimental Station of Arid Zones in Spain in an effort to save the species. The captive breeding programme was so successful that from a few individuals it was able to produce sufficient offspring to reintroduce a small number in Senegal. Similar reintroduction projects have been established in Morocco and Tunisia.
The rare dama gazelle is the largest and most colourful of all gazelle species.
Distribution
![Distribution](/fileadmin/_processed_/c/2/csm_tph-verbreitungskarten-afrika-mhorrgazelle-eng-2022_afa58179bf.png)
![Logo EEP](/fileadmin/_processed_/e/1/csm_logo-europaeisches-erhaltungszuchtprogramm-tierpark-hellabrunn_ea9ec9e202.png)
Hellabrunn Zoo participates in the European Endangered Species Programmes