First ever high-res image taken of rare gazelles in a desert setting

Ugo Mellone captured the first ever high-resolution image of a rare Cuvier’s gazelle (and her calf) in a desert environment using a technique called photo trapping

By Gege Li

Ugo Mellone

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.

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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”.