A gazelle that feeds on shrubs and grasses in arid country.
Both sexes have horns that bend backward and then upward. Female horns are usually smaller and thinner than those of males.
Research in Niger’s Aïr and Ténéré National Nature Reserve shows how little is known from sightings alone about the remaining wild dama gazelles. Across 15 field missions from 2017 to 2023, researchers combined direct observations, tracks and droppings, and camera traps. They recorded 84 gazelles in 39 direct sightings; cameras produced 200 independent events containing 244 animal detections in total.
Indices based on sightings and signs rose in later years, but focused survey effort also increased from 2022. The researchers therefore did not treat the rising indices alone as evidence of population recovery. Records were concentrated around Mount Takolokouzet, where a 2024 conservation-strategy review estimated 20–30 gazelles. The study shows why changes in survey effort must be considered when interpreting apparent population trends.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
The Mammal Diversity Database lists the dama gazelle as Critically Endangered (CR) in its global IUCN category. A 2024 conservation-strategy review by the IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group and partners estimated 20–30 gazelles around Mount Takolokouzet in Niger’s Aïr and Ténéré National Nature Reserve. A November 2024 visit found tracks but no gazelles. In April 2024, skins from two poached animals were found; the review also identifies gold mining, livestock competition, and habitat degradation among the pressures. Patrols, community engagement, and ecological monitoring are under way, and a local conservation action plan received government approval in January 2025. The 20–30 estimate refers to this reserve at the time of the review.