From the Field: Voices of Conservation – Razack
Discover firsthand stories from our dedicated team working on the ground to protect the Sahara’s unique wildlife and habitats.
Barefoot on the Takolokouzet: A Mission for the Dama Gazelle Against All Odds
My first mission with Sahara Conservation, back in 2017, in the Aïr and Ténéré National Nature Reserve (ATNNR), remains one of the most defining moments of my career. As a project officer, I was on a mission to install camera traps on Mount Takolokouzet, a site as majestic as it is unforgiving, only accessible on foot. No vehicles can make the journey; only camels are able to carry the equipment, food, and water needed for several days of fieldwork.
A Shared Commitment to Sustainable Reserve Management
For years, data on the dama gazelle (Nanger dama) in the ATNNR had been severely lacking, making targeted conservation action difficult. A 2014 mission had confirmed the species’ presence in the area. The objective of our cameras was to document the distribution, numbers, and behavior of this iconic Sahelian species, listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, in one of the last remaining strongholds of Saharan biodiversity
It was my first field mission in this zone, and I felt both excited and overwhelmed by the scale of the challenge. The terrain was completely new to me, rugged, rocky, arid, with steep slopes and a harsh climate. Just a few hours after we set off on the first day, disaster struck: the soles of my shoes came unglued, and the fabric tore. They were unusable. I looked down at my feet, then up at the slopes ahead of us. We still had four days of hiking left.
It was a shock. No one else on the team had a spare pair, and turning back was not an option. I pushed on, wrapping my feet with whatever I could find—socks, rags, anything—step by step, across scorching, jagged rocks. Every step was painful. But I refused to give up. We were there for the dama gazelle. With caution and perseverance, I continued the mission. We successfully installed all the planned camera traps and carried out the follow-up work according to protocol.
That experience shaped me physically and mentally, and it taught me an essential lesson for fieldwork: never underestimate the importance of gear, even the most basic one. Since that day, I’ve never gone on a mission without a spare pair of shoes in my backpack. It’s a simple habit, forged through hardship, that has saved me many difficulties since.
Even today, every time I return to the Takolokouzet, I think back to that first mission. Not with bitterness, but with a deep sense of pride, pride in having overcome one of the toughest challenges of my career in service of a species as precious as the dama gazelle.
