Georgia receives 16 gazelles from Azerbaijan for efforts to restore population

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. 

The gazelles were released into the Samukhi Protected Area in the eastern Kakheti region’s Dedoplistskaro municipality, the agency said, adding the animal had become extinct in Georgia during the 1960s, with the programme to restore their numbers initiated in 2013. 

The programme has proven to be a successful conservation initiative, playing a vital role in bolstering the gazelle population”, it noted while pointing out the current number in the protected area exceeded 300. 

The collaborative efforts involved “close cooperation” between the two governments and the Caucasus Programme Office of the World Wide Fund for Nature - the world's largest conservation organisation.

The initial phase of the programme had received financial backing from the German Government, with the ongoing phase being funded by WWF Germany and WWF Austria, the Agency added.