A license for gazelle hunting in the territory of
Azerbaijan is not issued even for one million manats. Azerbaijan
included gazelles in the Red Book as endangered species in 1989,
the ministry said warning that the hunting of gazelles either in
protected areas (reserves, national parks) or in territories of
general status is considered a crime. If all projects on protection
of gazelles succeed and the number of gazelles exceeds the capacity
of areas to feed, then necessary measures can be taken for the
regulation of population,"
Gazelles were on the verge of extinction since the second of the
20th century, a significant increase was recorded in the number of
gazelles as a result of activities carried out by the Azerbaijani
government in cooperation with animal welfare organizations. The
aerial survey conducted in 1960 found 131 gazelles in the territory
of Azerbaijan.
"Following the establishment of Shirvan National Park under late
President Heydar Aliyev’s order in 2003, a significant growth was
recorded in the number of gazelles and their number exceeded 7,000
in the short term". "As a result of joint efforts of the Heydar
Aliyev Foundation, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources,
the IDEA Public Union and the World Wildlife Fund, the project on
the protection, reintroduction and restoration of historical
habitats of gazelles in Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus is being
implemented successfully." Within the framework of the project over
the past six years, about 170 gazelles were caught in the territory
of the Shirvan National Part and released into the Ajinohur-Sarija
lowland, Bozdagh mountain range and Agggol and Gobustan
plateau."