Climate change threatens Iraq's endangered gazelles

Gazelles at an Iraqi wildlife reserve are dropping dead from hunger, making them the latest victims in a country where climate change is compounding hardships after years of war. In little over one month, the slender-horned gazelle population at the Sawa reserve in southern Iraq has plunged from 148 to 87. 

In Iraq, these elegant animals, also known as rhim gazelles, are recognisable by their gently curved horns and sand-coloured coats. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classes the animals as endangered on its Red List. President Barham Saleh has warned that tackling climate change "must become a national priority for Iraq as it is an existential threat to the future of our generations to come".