The Mountain Gazelle
?What are Gazelles
The mountain gazelle (Gazella Gazella) is a herbivorous mammal of the bovid family. They prefer to live in open grasslands, and are found in northern and central Israel. These gazelles can jump to a height of almost two meters, and run at a top speed of up to 80 km/h (50 mph) while escaping a predator. The males are usually larger than the females, and have straighter, longer horns.
Conservation status
The mountain gazelle is an endangered species, and there are no verified populations of this species other than the 3,000 remaining mountain gazelles in Israel. The main threats to their survival are poaching, loss of habitats and separation from crucial resources by highways, and urban development. These gazelles, like many other large mammals, were hunted to extinction in all of the Mediterranean outside of Israel, and are still facing ,major threats, which may lead to their extinction in the foreseeable future.
Our Gazelles
This valley was home for gazelles for thousands of years. The urbanization of the surrounding area left these gazelles trapped, and when the park was established in 2015 there were only 3 gazelles remaining. In the following years, the park became a refuge for gazelles which were taken from nature by poachers. Our herd currently has over 110 gazelles and keeps on growing.
