Reintroducing the goitered gazelle in Kyrgyzstan

NABU supports the preservation of a locally extinct species

The goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) inhabits Asian steppes and semi-deserts and is the northernmost distributed gazelle species in the world. Its habitat ranges from the Caucasus through Iran, southern Central Asia and the Arabian Peninsula, to the Gobi Desert and northern China. The little gazelle was once at home in Kyrgyzstan too, but has in the meantime become locally extinct in the area. NABU is therefore supporting a project to reintroduce this species.

Poaching and the destruction of its habitat through the expansion of industry, agriculture and livestock are particular threats to the goitered gazelle. Border fences also endanger the continued survival of the species, as these can interrupt their migratory routes and become fatal traps. The past few decades were especially marked by the decline of the animals. Today, there are an estimated 42,000 to 49,000 adult individuals of the species worldwide. They have entirely disappeared from the wild in Kyrgyzstan. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) therefore categorizes the species as vulnerable to extinction.

Implementation of the project

The reintroduction project is being implemented by our two Kyrgyz partners, the Argali Foundation and the Ilbirs Foundation. In the pilot phase, the two conservation NGOs created a species-appropriate enclosure and brought the first 15 juvenile animals from the "Jeyran" breeding station in Uzbekistan to the Kyrgyz reintroduction facility. The pilot phase was financed by the GEF Small Grants Programme in Kyrgyzstan and through private funding.

In 2022, NABU sponsored the expansion of the gazelle enclosure from 0.25 hectares to an area of approximately twelve hectares. Additional juvenile goitered gazelles were also transported to the reintroduction enclosure, in order to establish a stable and genetically diverse population there.

The project is accompanied by environmental education measures to combat poaching and illegal trade. The project partners plan to release the first goitered gazelles into the wild in 2026. This benchmark will depend on whether the animals have reproduced to a sufficient extent by that point.

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