Ten Gazelles become 'Georgians'
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10 gazelles were reintroduced today into Georgia from Azerbaijan as part of the project of IDEA campaign. "Reintroduction of gazelles on their historical habitat in the Caucasus" was initiated by the Vise-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and elder daughter of the president Ilham Aliyev Leyla Aliyeva in 2011.
The present from our neighbor was very much appreciated by Georgian side.
The reintroduction of gazelles was attended by Shalva Amirejibi, the Deputy Minister of Environment Protection of Georgia and Rati Japaridze, Head of the Agency of Protected Areas.
"Restoring habitat of gazelles in Georgia is a big step towards the restoration of biological diversity throughout the region. I hope that in the future we will begin the process of relocating bison to the region, Shalva Amirejibi said.
It is said that the purpose of the gazelles' reintroduction is to increase and relocate population of Gazelles to the areas where they previously lived but then disappeared for various reasons.
"Gazelles are well adapted to their historical habitat, acting Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Huseyn Bagirov told journalists on October 21.
The project of gazelle reintroduction was implemented by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, IDEA campaign and the Azerbaijani office of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The project consists of two phases. As part of the first stage in 2010, the first group of gazelles were relocated to the Absheron district, which is the traditional habitat of gazelles. Special sensors to monitor their vital functions were put on their necks.
Former Azerbaijani and now Georgian Gazelles are expected to be settled in Vashlovani National Park.
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The Vashlovani Protected Area, one of the most beautiful landscapes of Georgia, which presents remarkable cliffs and canyons and a variety of animals, is expected to receive a prestigious award from the European Council.
Two young gazelles were captured on camera traps clashing their horns on Samukhi Plain, a location in eastern Georgia's Vashlovani Protected Areas where the animals have been reintroduced recently.
A new generation of gazelles has been caught on camera in eastern Georgia's Vashlovani Protected Areas, providing further signs of success for the 2014-launched project for reintroducing the population in the country.
Georgian environmental authorities have received 16 gazelles from neighbouring Azerbaijan as part of ongoing efforts to restore the population of the animal in the country, the Agency of Protected Areas announced on Friday.