Early and late fawn mortality in a remnant population of Arabian gazelles (Gazella arabica)

Abstract The Arabian gazelle ( Gazella arabica ) population in Israel has experienced a turbulent conservation history and repeatedly faced local extinction. Low fawn survival was considered the main cause for constant decline. In our study, we analyzed instantaneous mortality rates, using binomial coding at three different developmental stages, i.e., rates to 3 months after parturition (weaning age), 5 (male fawns leave their mothers), age of reproductive maturity, recruitment (12 months). We used dataset obtained from 20 individually discernible mothers (49 females 48 males) born between June 2006 September 2019. To explore causes parental- (age mother parturition) offspring-related attributes (offspring sex), year birth, together with one weather variable (mean monthly maximum temperature) were included as independent variables into mixed effects cox regression models. Out 97 fawns, 92 survived weaning age, 73 only 7 maturity. Temperature had significant on suggesting that low temperatures detrimental (4–5 months) male dispersal (6–12 Male offspring encountered higher rate than female 6–12 months. Moreover, less (young mortality. Our results line previous studies observed other desert dwelling ungulates.