This is a story of patience, careful planning, and meticulous execution. On this day, August 23, 13 years ago, the Environment Agency–Abu Dhabi (EAD) pulled off a delicate rescue of a stray Arabian mountain gazelle that had wandered for at least six days at an abandoned labour encampment in Mohammed bin Zayed City.

Residents in the area tipped Khaleej Times about the gazelle - classified as a protected animal - that was believed to have escaped from one of the villas in the area. The graceful animal was seen roaming free, but concerned individuals did not discount the danger of it getting mauled by wild dogs or be recklessly captured.

It was a hot and humid Thursday morning on August 23, 2012, when a 12-man team from EAD set out with their plan to capture the gazelle. As reported by Khaleej Times, the team arrived with a carefully mapped plan. Armed with long nets, lassos, and netguns, they surrounded the gazelle's resting spot. The animal, already skittish after previous threats to its life darted and dodged every attempt.

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The manual capture that was meant to be“less invasive and less stressful” for the gazelle also included the use of netguns and lasso. After a few tries, the team managed to herd the animal into the net trap, but the gazelle - nimble and quick as it was - eluded the group before they were able to close in.

But the rescuers were experts, and their reflexes were also swift. They relentlessly pursued the male gazelle. They came prepared and also had the stamina to catch up with the gazelle that they finally captured with a lasso in less than an hour after they moved into action.

They were also gentle in capturing the gazelle and mindful of the fact that the antelope holds a great significance in the history and heritage of the UAE - the very name of Abu Dhabi itself translates to 'father of gazelle'.

The EAD rescuers had deliberately avoided dart guns and opted to go for the manual capture. They explained that the use of a dart gun would not have been effective for the gazelle - a very agile, and evasive antelope that could run for about 50km per hour. Plus, the chemical immobilisation agent would have put the gazelle at risk of hyperthermia, a very dangerous situation as it was the peak of summer that time.

Overheating was the biggest concern, in addition to the risk of injuring the gazelle, the rescuers explained to Khaleej Times.

The team captured the gazelle and relocated it to one of EAD's animal conservation and breeding facilities, where it joined a herd of other Arabian mountain gazelles after undergoing the mandatory quarantine. No one, however, has come forward to claim ownership of the endangered species.

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