23 January 2021 | New Scientist | 29A rare beauty
Photographer Ugo Mellone
THIS tranquil shot is the first
high-resolution image of a Cuvier’s
gazelle (Gazella cuvieri) in a desert
environment, says photographer
Ugo Mellone. The gazelle and her
calf are roaming in a remote part
of the Sahara desert. They are
a rare sight, with estimated
numbers of individuals in the
wild in the low thousands.
The species once flourished
across northern Africa, but
excessive hunting in the early
20th century slashed its numbers.
Cuvier’s gazelles are now found
in remote or desert regions of
Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia,
where they usually live in small
herds away from humans.
Mellone set up a solar-powered
camera on the rocky desert plains
that shot anything that triggered
its motion sensors, a technique
called photo trapping. More than
10 weeks later, he was rewarded
with what he calls “the most sought
photo of my life”. The image, which
features in Mellone’s latest
photography book, Sahara Erg|Reg,
is one of only four shots of the
gazelles taken with this camera,
underlining the species’ sparse
distribution and low numbers.
Most of the large animal species
that used to roam the Sahara
desert are now endangered or
extinct, due to hunting, climate
change and lack of conservation.
The Sahara desert “is probably
the most neglected ecosystem”
on Earth, says Mellone. Yet the
Cuvier’s gazelle is resisting, he
says, despite its population
density being very low. Even so,
he adds that the species is still
heavily hunted “just for fun”. ❚
Gege Li