A summer drought killing close to 400 gazelles at a Kingdom wildlife reserve has prompted the National Wildlife Preservation Authority to sponsor a workshop aimed at preventing this from happening in the future. The workshop will bring experts from the US, Australia and South Africa, as well as a number of experts from universities in the Kingdom and the King Abdulaziz Science and Technology City. The aims of the workshop are to devise an environmental strategy to find practical solutions to preserving wildlife and increasing the survivability of reserve animals during events like harsh droughts. Prince Bandar Bin Saud Al-Saud, the Authority's Secretary General, said that the gazelles died due to the drought which constitutes the only problem at the reserve, killing between 200 and 400 gazelles each summer. According to Ahmad Al-Bouq, Director of the Wildlife Research Center, it has yet to be ascertained whether the gazelles have died of drought alone. “The Research Center has prepared an integrated report on the reserve since its inception and the report will be provided to experts for examination while the workshop is in session,” he said. The Wildlife Preservation Authority has installed wireless equipment to monitor the more than 2,000 gazelles still living on the reserve. Gazelle Facts Average life span in the wild: 10 to 12 years Size: Height at the shoulder, 20 to 43 in (51 to 109 cm) Weight: 26 to 165 lbs (12 to 75 kg) Gazelles are medium-sized antelopes found in Africa and in Asia as far east as Mongolia. There are some 19 different species of gazelles. These grazing antelopes live in herds, which can consist of as few as ten or as many as several hundred animals. During the plentiful rainy season, thousands of animals can be seen gathering in large groups. – Okaz __
