The little mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella) is also called the Palestinian or true gazelle. Both males and females have horns, which can be the objective of poachers. The gazelle is native to Arabia, parts of Mesopotamia and the lands of the Levant and Syria.
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Mountain gazelles can run up to 50 mph or 80 km/h. Gazelles are among the fastest land animals, and they have to be as they're prey for such Stone Age Mesopotamian wild hunters as the Eurasian Lion, Arabian Leopard and Caspian Tiger.
Brown bears also roam the forests and plains, and will take down a weak or sick animal who can't run. On top of that, c. 12,500 - 9000 BCE along come the humans.
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Like the predators, gazelles shrink away from people. From the early years wild animals, predators and prey, are steadily hunted by humans. Hides can be made into clothing, blankets and houses.
Skulls might be displayed as trophies after they've been thoroughly boiled to make soup. Teeth may be used to make buttons or beads. Lots of skins and family is fat. These are signs of a great hunter.
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The gazelle is a favorite prey animal for food. Whether humans know it or not, meat of the herbivore gazelle is healthier for them than the meat of carnivores. Bones and marrow are a vital source of minerals and nutrition.
Strong sinews are used as ropes or strings and bones make sewing needles. The horns of the female mountain gazelle are small, but the larger ridged horns of the male, up to 12 in (30 cm) are kept for ornamentation, vessels or powdered as medicine.
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Eventually the humans settle from a semi-nomadic hunter gatherer lifestyle to agrarian living. They need more room for crops and livestock, and this, with hunting, causes a decline in the gazelle population. Because fewer animals are competing for resources, the gazelles grow in average body size.
Mountain gazelles enjoy an elevated environment and ridges of hills, where the air is cooler than the stifling burn at low levels. The humans prefer to stay in the fertile valleys, but regularly hunt the gazelle.
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Gazelle herds are small, with about 3 - 8 members. Male gazelles are bigger than females, Mature males reach about 30 kg (66 lb), while females are up to 25 kg (55 lb) in weight. The average gazelle lifespan in the wild is eight years.
They form bachelor groups of young males, and groups of females with young. The fawns are born in April or May. Lone mature males may stake out their own territories. The gazelles keep to high ground.
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A related species in Yemen, the Queen of Sheba's gazelle or Yemen gazelle (Gazella bilkis), becomes extinct in the 20th century. Status of the mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella) is endangered.
Mountain gazelles are hunted for food up to the mid-20th century. In 1955 hunting mountain gazelles became illegal in Israel. In 2019, research suggests 300 -1300 gazelles are poached per year.
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Reintroduction and introduction of mountain gazelles into other areas have worked well to help repopulate the numbers. A breakout of hoof & mouth disease decimated one population in the 1980s.
Mountain gazelles look delicate, but they're tough enough to flourish for thousands of years in the wild places. With the encroachment of settlements they won't reach the abundance of ancient times, but from a low of 105 individuals, populations are slowly increasing.
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With careful administration and control of illegal hunting these hardy animals have an excellent chance of making it back from the brink. Especially in Arabia, the animal is a sign of beauty and grace. An attractive elegant woman might be likened to a gazelle.
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