Gazelle Ecology in Masua Park

One of the most effective ways to conduct environmental education focusing on the importance of natural resources is to bring people directly into the field on frequent visits. In fact, this is a necessity for raising environmental awareness.
Gazelles in Ramot Forest. Photo by Alex Geifman
In order to make such visits effective, a specific attraction in the area in question can be very helpful. The observation of gazelles in their natural habitats constitutes such an attraction. Gazelles are a wild but familiar species, whose large size makes them relatively easy to spot and observe. However, to make observations by visitors successful, not only must gazelle density be high, their ecology must also be studied in order to ascertain when and where to show them to visitors. Masua Park, with its location in a non-urban area and its mosaic of varied habitats, is a perfect place to fulfill environmental educational goals, although present gazelle density in the park is far too low for this purpose.